Experts stress on forming National River Framework in India
Dec 18, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 18 : The 7th Edition of the India Water Impact Summit concluded on Saturday after three days.
In this summit, experts from the country and abroad are discussing ways to protect the small rivers in large river basins. The theme of the Summit is 'Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a Large Basin' with emphasis on the select aspects of 'Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps' - People, Policy, Plan, Programme, and Project.
The Summit aimed at giving insight into the potential causes for divergence and formulating strategies to achieve convergence.
On the last day, experts from the water, environment, and administrative sectors unanimously consented to an urgent need of forming a National River Framework in the country, which would determine the parameters for monitoring river health, process, and responsibility.
All experts were unanimous that the direction of river health cannot be ascertained based on only biochemical parameters.
"The deliberations have enabled us to identify the areas we have to work upon. Now, it is time to implement and see results on the ground," Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Asok Kumar said.
"Water is crucial for the existence of mankind and is finally getting the respect and value it deserves," he said, adding, "We all can see that, now, a lot of focus is on water-related issues even at the district administration level which was not the case about a decade ago."
He said that Namami Gange has taken the lead in water management, circular economy, resource recovery, ensuring rivers are not polluted, and taking initiatives such as river-city alliance that are central to including the protection of rivers at the urban planning level.
He also noted that with NMCG's initiative, water is now being looked at as a resource for increasing the GDPs of local districts through tourism, healthcare, etc.
Representatives of the European Union, Norway, Germany, and Slovenia participated in the discussion on the international track at the summit, as per the statement by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
"The international participants unanimously agreed to the fact that river and basin management under geographical diversity makes India a natural laboratory of river science. International participants observed that the way work is going on in the direction of river restoration, one can say that India would emerge as the world teacher of river science," it said.
International representatives stressed that a COP conference on the water should also be started on an international level.
