River Resuscitation: Actions to Save Our Lifeline

Hey, here's a shocking fact that'll leave you speechless: Every single day, a staggering two million tons of sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff are dumped into our planet's waterways. Want to learn more about this alarming issue? Keep reading!

Indian Rivers are heating up due to climate change.?

Climate change may turn India’s rivers into hostile environments for aquatic life by 2070-2100, scientists warned in a new study. River water temperatures may increase during the period and dissolved oxygen levels may decrease, the study published in Scientific Reports has predicted.?

Under a high-emissions scenario, river water temperatures are expected to climb 7 degrees Celsius in summer, reaching close to 35°C by 2070-2100, the report noted.?In Delhi, along a stretch, the Yamuna is choked by water hyacinth—a weed. This is an example of eutrophication. Dead fish are also found in the river as soon as the monsoon begins. This is due to the sudden increase in pesticide and other pollutant levels.

International Day of Action for Rivers?

International Day of Action For Rivers, observed on March 14 every year, is a day that is dedicated to saving, celebrating, and creating awareness about the importance of rivers.? It brings people across the world together to talk about and save rivers by addressing the issues related to river management, river pollution, river conservation, etc.

Meet the Climate Warriors: Unsung Heroes Working Towards a Greener Future

Human activities of pollution and habitat destruction are causing catastrophic damage to our planet’s usual functioning. Every now and then we get to know how it is affecting the environment. Here is a list of a few people, who have taken reformative measures toward bettering the environment.?

Anil Kumar, the 21-Year-Old Leading the Fight Against Climate Change Through Education and Advocacy

A 21-year-old Akhilesh Anil Kumar is a Managing Director of Bring Back Green Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works on climate change-related problems, promoting climate education as a tool to help solve climate change and on topics associated with gender and social justice. Akhilesh has produced a documentary ‘Theeram’ that focuses on the lives and livelihoods of Kerala’s fishing community and how climate change and artificial constructions have negatively impacted them.

Meet Sanju Soman: The Young Activist Saving Wetlands and Communities with SARSAS

Sanju has been working with vulnerable communities and wetland conservation and created the first model wetland village with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). In 2011, when he was 19 he started Save a Rupee Spread a Smile (Sarsas), a volunteer-led NGO and organised fundraising marathons for Regional Cancer Centre and Kerala Network for Organ Sharing.

"I strongly believe that the planet isn’t in danger but we are, along with every other species. Change should happen now and at a very fast rate." Sanju Soman says.

Soumya Ranjan Biswal: Championing Marine Conservation

Soumya works for wildlife conservation activities with a focus on the protection of Olive Ridley Sea turtles. Biswal managed to organise and participate in 230 beach clean-ups and also worked with the forest department, local communities, and youth volunteers across the State to restore wildlife and encourage long-term wildlife management.

"As a coastal village boy, I've always been affected by ocean and beach pollution, high mortality rates of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle and mangrove destruction which have resulted in the occurrence of consistent natural calamities. This made me feel more strongly about environmental degradation, climate change and its impact on the marine ecosystem." Soumya says.

In 2021, the UN recognised 41 Indian women as water champions. Among them, 44-year-old farmer and water activist Aruna Das from the Assamese village of Amtula in the Lakhimpur district believes in the significance of water conservation. "Everything begins and ends with water for us," she explains. As the Assam flood in 2017 contaminated all the drinking water sources, people began to realise how important water conservation was. With support and assistance from various organisations and the UN, they were able to comprehend and learn the methods of water conservation. Das and the other women in her community spoke up, influencing the government to implement the structures they had requested and bring about change for the entire neighbourhood.

Greening the Concrete Jungle: BharatCares' Sustainable Miyawaki Plantation for Urban Afforestation

It is not a hidden fact that today India is disappearing behind smog and chaos of increasing population. The Loss of green cover and increased concretisation in urban areas has led to cities becoming ‘urban heat islands’, which pose significant threats to human populations and contribute to climate change.?

BharatCares in collaboration with PNB Housing Finance Limited (Pehel Foundation) has stepped into practising Miyawaki plantation to revolutionise the urban cities with a better environment, amplifying the green area in order to achieve a greener, healthier and more sustainable environment. The Miyawaki technique includes a six-step process that starts with surveying the soil to assess physical texture, organic carbon, soil pH and more. Then a survey of native species and biomass is done by visiting and collecting relevant data from the nearest natural forest in the region. After which, native saplings are procured and planted in layers, as per Miyawaki guidelines. Finally, the site is monitored and maintained for a period of 2 to 3 years, after which the sites become self-sustainable.

Conclusion

“Real India is found in its villages” said Mahatma Gandhi and the rural areas were the soul of the country in the 20th Century and before that. India, today is nowhere found in the villages, rather the natural resources in the rural areas have been contaminated, polluted with newer chemicals each year, garbage and waste dumped into the rivers and open spaces turned into landfills. We've tainted and rendered useless everything lovely that nature has to give. Although, these actions can be stopped by our everyday choices and actions. Let us pledge to be wiser and more responsible citizens on this International Day of Action for Rivers.