Are
you
saying
India
missed
an
without
understanding
that
these
are
opportunity to become a rallying point for
evolutionary resources that are irreplaceable.
other nations?
Please understand that all our underground
Of course; We know how to use our water
and surface aquifers are exhausted and we
sources just as we know how to extract
have no water sources left in our villages.
water, and through the centuries, have used
This has resulted in huge levels of migration
this technology in the most effective manner
which in turn is causing huge social
without depleting our resources.
upheaval.
Let me cite an example. Prince Charles
Are you saying we should go back to our
approached me last year to help provide
indigenous systems to conserve water?
solutions for the flooding of the Thames
Our
river in the United Kingdom. I went there to
followed
make an on-the-spot assessment. I provided
approach. Everything was looked at in its
him with a traditional Indian solution where
totality. We were part of nature.
the flow of the river was slowed down by
Unfortunately, this world view to live in
the construction of small barrages at the
harmony with nature has been lost. And, as
places where the river meandered. I
we lose our underground aquifers and
provided them with a typical Indian solution
extract more and more water, we must
which the UK government has happily
realize that the patient has become very sick.
accepted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about
Now I am invited there once every three
the Ganga being his mother. I would like to
years to monitor the river flow. There are
point out to him that his 'mother Ganga' is in
hundreds of Indians who possess similar
ICU (intensive care unit and the son is not
expertise. Why is the government not using
doing anything for her.
their skills and knowledge?
The drought situation is so intense that
Instead, all our water bodies -- whether our
farmers are committing suicides across all
rivers or our tanks, ponds and wells -- are all
our states because no alternative sources of
facing major encroachments. We are also
water are being made available to them.
plagued with the problem of over extraction.
I was recently invited to Turkey where I was
Our present educational system has come up
invited for a United Nations conference on
with a breed of students who are taught
how to combat desertification where I was
subjects such as soil, climate and water uses
the keynote speaker. It was attended by
indigenous
a
knowledge
decentralized
and
systems
holistic
7
Integrated River Basin Management Society