PRIME MINISTER’S OPENING REMARKS AT
THE 11TH MEETING OF
THE NATIONAL RIVER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY
The Prime Minister,
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee chaired the 11th meeting
of the National River Conservation Authority, here today. Expressing
concern at the pollution of rivers, Shri Vajpayee said, "it is
ironic that, although we consider our rivers holy, we have allowed
river pollution to assume alarming proportions". The Prime Minister
pointed to the "disposal of untreated sewage from large and medium
towns" as a major reason for the pollution of rivers and emphasised
the need to involve religious personalities and institutions,
as they can play a positive role in these programmes. Shri Vajpayee
also stressed the "need to implement the river conservation programme
with a greater sense of urgency and commitment".
Union Minister for
Environment & Forests, Shri T.R. Baalu, Union Minister for
Finance, Shri Jaswant Singh and Deputy Chairman of Planning, Shri
K.C. Pant were among the distinguished guests present on the occasion.
Besides, Chief Ministers, Ministers and senior officials from
all the States of the country also attended the meeting.
Following is the
text of the Prime Minister’s opening remarks on the occasion:
"I welcome all of you to the Eleventh
meeting of the National River Conservation Authority.
Civilizations have prospered on the
banks of rivers. Many important cities of the world also have
derived their sustenance from rivers. Today, however, rivers are
in need of sustenance.
With the phenomenal
increase in population, and the dramatic rise in living standards
of people in many parts of the world, there has been a sharp increase
in the demand for fresh water. The total availability of fresh
water, on the other hand, has not increased. To make the matter
worse, the availability has actually dipped on account of man-made
pollution. Water sustains life. Now the time has come for us to
sustain the availability of clean water.
This is a cause for
great concern, especially since the planet’s population is projected
to increase to about 8 billion by 2025. Rightfully, the United
Nations has proclaimed the year 2003 as the International Year
of Fresh Water with the slogan "Water – Two billion People are
dying for it."
It is ironic that,
although we consider our rivers holy, we have allowed river pollution
to assume alarming proportions. A major reason for pollution is
disposal of untreated sewage from large and medium towns.
The Government’s
river cleaning programme started with launching of Ganga Action
Plan. This programme has now been extended to the national level
and covers 157 towns along 31 polluted stretches of major rivers
in 18 states. It is estimated to cost about Rs.4,063 crore. The
Tenth Plan has accorded high priority to address this problem
effectively. I am told that there have been some delays in its
implementation but now the constraints have been removed and the
programme is progressing in full swing.
As you are aware,
the works of first phase of the Ganga Action Plan and Yamuna Action
Plan have been completed. However, the operation and maintenance
of the assets created under these programmes has turned out to
be unsatisfactory. This is a matter of great concern and requires
our immediate attention. Some of the participating States have
to pay much more attention to the implementation process. The
time has come for the State Governments to evolve new strategies
for making the programme more sustainable by way of capacity building
of the local bodies and enhancement of their revenue.
Past experiences
have shown us that the success of such programme depends on an
integrated approach covering all aspects of river pollution as
well as urban sanitation and waste management. We have to formulate
river action plans in an integrated and holistic manner so that
these programmes become more effective in terms of cost, impact
and outreach. For this, the various concerned ministries at the
Central and State levels, as also municipal bodies, have to work
together with effective coordination. It is also necessary to
strengthen the institutional mechanism in the local bodies for
speedy implementation and proper monitoring of the project.
The programme of
this magnitude can never be successful without involving NGOs,
and members of Civil Society. Social and cultural organizations
can also play effective role as partners of this mission. I would
like to emphasise here the need to involve religious personalities
and institutions, since they too can play a positive role in our
programmes. As we all know, they also have been at the forefront
in voicing concern at the deteriorating conditions of our water
resources.
Friends, Mother Nature
is reminding us to learn proper lessons from the wrongs we have
committed. We have to respect and restore the delicate balance
in Nature. Water is not unlimited and we have to be wise and farsighted
in using it. Therefore, we need to implement the river conservation
programme with a greater sense of urgency and commitment.
Before concluding,
I would like to urge all the participating States to fully share
the responsibility for making this programme a success. The Central
Government will extend all possible assistance on its part. Thank
you."