Taking cognisance of the spiritual and environmental importance of the National River Ganga and the Yamuna, experts from various Indian Institutes of Technologies (IIT’s), environmentalists, engineers, and spiritual leaders will discuss technical means to ensure continuous unpolluted flow of these two rivers during a two-day national workshop on Ganga and Yamuna to be held at Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh on May 8 and 9.
The workshop is being jointly organised by The IITians for Holy Ganga, a forum constituted to preserve heritage and ecology of the river Ganga by alumni of all IIT’s and Ganga Action Parivar (GAP), a body of engineers , activists and spiritual leaders.
“The experts attending the workshop will discuss current challenges being faced by both the holy rivers and suggest ways to protect and maintain free-flowing, unpolluted state of both rivers and find workable solutions to the problems of pollution and obstruction. The Ganga and Yamuna are environmentally and culturally vital. The minimum ecological flows of the rivers ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development should be maintained,” said IITians for Holy Ganga and IIT Kharagpur Almuni Association president Yatinder Pal Suri.
“The main speakers at two workshop will include Ganga River Basin Management Plan coordinator Prof Vinod Tare of IIT Kanpur, Centre for Environment Science and Technology, Benaras Hindu University coordinator Dr BD Tripathi and former chairman, Central Pollution Control Board and IITians for Holy Ganga spokesperson Paritosh Tyag,” said Ganga Action Parivar head Swami Chidanand Sarswati.
“Sewage waste management along Ganga and Yamuna, industrial waste treatment, solid waste management, bio toilets along these rivers, dams and alternative energy, smarter water practices and conservation will be discussed in the workshop,”added Saraswati.
IITians for Holy Ganga spokesperson Paritosh Tyagi said, “Both rivers Ganga and Yamuna are deeply associated with the faith and civilization of the country and should be saved at any cost. We appeal to the government at centre and the States concerned to save the sacred rivers. Various schemes started by Centre and States in last few years have left both the rivers more polluted.”