“Rally for Rivers” set sailing from Coimbatore

“Rally for Rivers” splashed its first spills on 3 September in Coimbatore and it indeed rained the cause in overall country. Conceived by Sadhguru, the campaign  flagged off at the VOC grounds, Coimbatore by the Hon’ble Governor of Punjab, Sri V. P. Singh Badnore and Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.

The seriousness and impact of the subject can be understood by the presence of citizens from every section of the country. Star batsman Sri Virender Sehwag, Tamil Nadu cabinet minister for Rural Development & Municipal Administration, Thiru S.P. Velumani, Women’s cricket team captain - Mithali Raj, Formula One race car driver – Narain Karthikeyan and other dignitaries including the rally partner – Mahindra Group Senior Vice President - Veejay Ram Nakra and Technical partners - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Dr. K. Ramasamy concluded the arrangement.

“This is not a protest nor is this an agitation. This is the campaign to raise awareness that our rivers are depleting. Everyone who consumes water must Rally for Rivers” said Sadhguru. 

An event plan has been mapped where Sadhguru Ji will himself drive the entire distance from Kanyakumari to Himalayas between September 3 and October 2, covering 16 states and 23 events in major cities, traversing a stretch of 7000 km across India.  People from different walks of life, in their august presence made the event significant. Political influence too is not untouched from the cause. Fifteen Chief Ministers confirmed their support to the movement and this is perhaps for the first time that over 300 celebrities and public figures from various sections of society are coming together for a cause.

An expert committee of environmental scientists and lawmakers is also in the process of drawing up a draft policy recommendation that suggests a tree cover of up to a depth of 1 km on either side of the river, forest trees on government land and fruit trees on farm land to ensure that moisture in the soil and the air feeds the rivers throughout the year. This solution ensures that rivers are restored while also enhancing farmers’ livelihood significantly by gradually shifting from crop to Tree - based agriculture. The availability of fruit also improves nutritional intake among people. Trees help keep rivers perennial, mitigate floods and drought, increase precipitation, mitigate climate change and prevent soil erosion.

The event is an effort to make everyone aware about the crisis our rivers are facing, create awareness among all sections of society about the need to Rally for Rivers, garner public support and momentum for the campaign. Lakhs of people have shown their support, by the mode of a missed call to 80009 80009. Just ONE missed call from one will be part of a huge wave to revive our rivers.

Read more here : http://www.krishijagran.com/news/rally-for-river-flooding-the-conscience/