Gajendra Singh Shekhawat calls for holistic planning, integrative management for better resource base for future generations

Shekhawat said, "With these detailed project reports (DPRs), through holistic planning, we can head towards giving a better resource base to the future through integrative management and combined efforts of all."

Shekhawat said that 'water is the elixir of life' and this fact was known to all traditionally as rivers were treated as goddesses and were cared for with deep reverence in the hearts, minds, and souls of the masses.

Shekhawat further said that the day we stopped thinking about what we give back to the rivers, when we did not balance the need for development with environmental sustainability, we stopped becoming custodians of nature and rather forced our ownership on it, we have started exploiting and overexploiting our resources.

His remarks came at the release of the detailed project reports on the Rejuvenation of thirteen major rivers through forestry interventions.

Talking about how under Prime Minister Narendra Modi a holistic approach has been adopted towards river rejuvenation especially that of river Ganga, the Union Minister said that the entire world has witnessed and appreciated the results.

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti stressed on the need for thinking of ourselves as custodians of nature and all its beauty & resources and the fact that in the past 5 decades we have forgotten our responsibilities towards sustainability and we need to ensure that we give a better resource base to our future generations.

Shekhawat said that with these DPRs, through holistic planning, we can head towards giving a better resource base to the future through integrative management and combined efforts of all.

The 13 rivers for which DPRs were released are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Cauvery. The DPRs were funded by National Afforestation and Eco-development Board, (MoEF&CC) and prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education(ICFRE), Dehradun, said the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

According to the ministry, the growing water crisis on account of depleting freshwater resources especially due to the shrinking and degradation of river ecosystems is a major impediment to achieving national goals pertaining to the environment, conservation, climate change, and sustainable development.

Thirteen rivers collectively cover a total basin area of 18,90,110 sq. km that representing 57.45 per cent of the geographical area of the country. The length of 13 rivers including 202 tributaries within the delineated riverscapes is 42,830 km, said the ministry.

Addressing the gathering, the Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav said that these DPRs are in line with the holistic vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making the coming 25 years as 'Amrit Kaal' as these DPRs will create a target of green cover expansion for upcoming 10 years and 20 years, then the future generations will get a 'Green India' through the 'Van Bhagidari and Jan Bhagidari' of the current generation.

Yadav further added that the projects will alleviate the growing water stress and help achieve national goals related to climate change and sustainable development.

As per the ministry, the activities proposed in the DPRs shall help achieve potential benefits of increasing the green cover, containing soil erosion, recharging water table, and sequestering carbon dioxide in addition to benefits in the form of non-timber forest produce.

Forestry interventions are expected to increase the cumulative forest cover by 7,417.36 km2 across 13 riverscapes. The proposed interventions would help to sequester 50.21 million tons CO2 equivalent in 10-year-old plantations and 74.76 million tons CO2 equivalent in 20-year-old plantations, said the ministry.

It stated that the proposed interventions in thirteen riverscapes would help in groundwater recharge to the extent of 1,889.89 million m3 yr-1, and reduction in sedimentation to the tune of 64,83,114 m3 yr-1. In addition, Rs. 449.01 crore is likely to be generated from expected non-timber and other forest produce. It is also expected that the employment of 344 million man-days shall be generated through planned activities as provisioned in 13 DPRs.

These efforts will play an important role in achieving the international commitments of India such as NDC forestry sector goal of creation of additional carbon sink of 2.5 -3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030 under the Paris Agreement of UNFCCC, restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded lands by 2030 as a land degradation neutrality target under UNCCD, halt the biodiversity loss by 2030 under CBD and Sustainable Development Goals, said the ministry.

It will strengthen the country's progress towards Panchamrit commitment at CoP-26 during November 2021 in Glasgow whereby India promised to reduce its projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030, meet 50 per cent of energy requirements with renewable energy by 2030, enhance non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030, reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emission by 2070.

The timely and effective implementation of the proposed forestry interventions as envisaged in DPRs of 13 major Indian Rivers is expected to significantly contribute towards the improvement of terrestrial and aquatic biota, and livelihoods besides rejuvenation of the rivers in terms of Aviral Dhara, Nirmal Dhara besides Swachchh Kinara. (ANI)