Yamuna Foundation Starts River Clean-up Campaign

Delhi and Agra Volunteers to Pick up Trash

The Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water, under the umbrella of the Rivers of the World (ROW) Foundation (www.rowfoundation.org ) begins a Campaign to cleanup the Yamuna River with Volunteers picking up trash on March 29th in Delhi and March 25th in Agra. This project in India is in partnership and motivated by a similar project in Washington, DC, USA to Clean-up the Potomac River by the Alice Ferguson Foundation (www.fergusonfoundation.org ). In both cases, these major rivers are polluted in varying degrees impacting the lifeline of the people living there. Both flow through the Capitals of their countries.

Subijoy Dutta, Executive Director of the Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water announced, “We start now to clean up the Yamuna with our hands. We will continue cleanups until river becomes, once again, clean and blue. The Yamuna River is sacred. It is a life source. We can not continue to trash it!”

The United States partner in the Trash Cleanup Project is The Alice Ferguson Foundation, Accokeek, MD, USA (www.fergusonfoundation.org • www.potomaccleanup.org). On Saturday, April 5, 2008 the Foundation will lead its 20th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Thousands of volunteers will participate at hundreds of Cleanup sites throughout the region to remove enormous amounts of trash. In the past twenty years, over 40,000 volunteers have removed more than 3 million pounds of trash from fields, forests, parking lots, shorelines, school yards, and all areas of the region that drain into the Potomac River.

“Our trash problem is one of the few major long-term issues we can address and solve right now,” said Tracy Bowen, Executive Director of the Alice Ferguson Foundation. “It is through addressing this trash issue that we can get to greater awareness of many other environmental issues, clean, healthy water, and strong civic pride... The goal of the project is to create a trash free Potomac by 2013!”

Mr Brij Khandelwal, Coordinator of the Agra Yamuna Cleanup said a sustained mass movement was necessary. "Citizens should stop looking to the government for everything but initiate action on their own to stop further degradation of the river."

The Yamuna River Cleanup in Agra takes place on March 25, 2008. Volunteers will meet at _Hathi Ghat, Yamuna Kinara road and remove trash from the river bank between 8am to 12 noon.

Coated gloves will be given to all Volunteers to protect hands and Blue plastic bags will be used to collect recyclable items and orange bags for trash to be disposed. The recyclables will be transported to the municipal recycling center; arrangements are being made for the non-recyclables to be picked up by the city garbage collection system.

Delhi Coordinator, Mr. Suresh Nair and D.K. Mital for the Yamuna River Cleanup are committed to the Yamuna Foundations’ motto “…to turn the Yamuna Blue” and agrees that it will take a major effort on the part of all sectors of the Dehli community to turn this issue around. In a recent press conference Subijoy Dutta said “We must stop trashing the river we love that is vital to health and livability of everyone in this region. We must make this commitment NOW!”

As in Agra, similar gloves and bags will be used. The recyclables will be transported to the municipal recycling center; arrangements are being made for the non-recyclables to be picked up by the city garbage collection system.

After the Trash Cleanups, information, along with pictures, will be released publicly about how much volume/weight and types (paper, plastics, soda cans, bulk items, such as tires etc.) of trash collected. Both ROW Foundation and Alice Fergusion Foundation will have listing of volunteers and pictures from the Cleanups on the websites, which will be easily accessible to everyone. ENDS.


Delhi Coordinator:
Mr. Suresh Nair and D.K. Mital
Delhi, India
Suresh: 4050-6600; Mobile: 98990-12403;
D.K. Mital: 98105-65485
gtindia@rediffmail.com

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Save the Varuna

Dear all,

Greetings from HAMARI VARUNA ABHIYAN (Save the Varuna moovement) , Varanasi(India). Varuna is the famous river of Varanasi.World’s oldest and holy city Varanasi was named on this holy river. In hindu mythology and history we have got the reference of river Varuna. Varuna starts from melhum at phulpur in Allahabad District. It flows from Bhadohi ,Mirzapur ,Jounpur, enters in varanasi, and ends in river ganga at sarai mohana. Its total length is about106 kms.
Varanasi is also an ancient name, found in both the Buddhist Jataka tales and in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. From the pali version of this name –baranasi- comes the corrupted name Banaras, by which the city is most widely known today. Varanasi sits between the Varana river ,which flows into the ganges on the north and the Asi river, which joins the Ganges on the south . Varanasi stretches along the river between the two. According to the Padma Puran ‘The Varana and the Asi are two rivers, set there by Gods. Between them is a holy land and there is none more excellent on earth.”
Since 1980, Varuna was recognized as lifeline of Varanasi. It’s water was very medicated and its river bank were famous for medicated plants like Brahmi, punarnava, sarpgandha,juri, sankhpuspi, satavar and ghritkumari. It maintained the water level of varanasi, which is now a days at 3rd strata. The farmers of this area used its water for drinking, irrigation and cattle. But now, the total scenario has changed, Varuna has became the most polluted river of India, there is no any living things even parasites also in it. Varuna is ailing and becoming a garbage tank. the impact of all these things are shown. Due to these, the ground water level is going at downiest level. Pollution is being high and a holy lifeline river is dying.
Save the Varuna movement (Hamari Varuna Abhiyan) is a joint effort of some Civil Societies, who are involve in social activities in Varanasi and nearby aras . prayash Foundation Trust, Centre for Social Development society & Hamari Varuna Samiti are playing the major roles in this movement. Except then, many other VOs, NGOs and institutions like Water community, Social Vision, Computer institute for Management System(CIMS), Dr. Shambhunath singh Research Foundation(SRF) , Premchand Margdarsan Kendra, Manav Seva Samiti , Prerna Kala Manch, Tarumitra are supporting us. We have decided to work on Varuna revival since last 3 years, when we saw that Varuna river is ailing from its source and it was being a sever . due to our efforts Commissnor Varanasi ordered to chek it. By our meetings and awareness camps Polithine is avoid by the native people. Schools & Colleges are making the plantation programe for it . we are crating a social pressure on Govt. of U.P. to make a green belt & oxygen Bank on both sides of this river especially in Varanasi city from Chokaghat to civil court. By this way there will be a beautiful and visible pollution free zone in this cultural city. We are planning to dig the riverbed and use this place for boating and water transport also. For this purpose we have demanded from Govt. of U.P. to make a pukka ghat at chokaghat.
We the people of save varuna movement are trying to revive the varuna with our best efforts. We have taken it as challenge, but our resources are very limited. Now days ,we are creating a public awareness through camps. Our sub convener Surya Bhan is on padyatra along with river Varuna and creating a good rapport about Varuna’ cleanness and revival. Our convener Dr. Vyomesh Chitravansh is trying to attract the people and activists on this problem. As a Executive member of National Committee on ailing rivers, he presented the problem of Varuna in The South Asian Convention of Ailing & Dead Rivers at New Delhi on July 8th, 2007. He is fighting for Varuna at state, national & international level. He is a good journalist and advocate from Varanasi. By his effort Varuna is kept in top 5 of ailing rivers of India.In coming period we are making plan to dig Varuna riverbed and to plantation on its both side with the help of native people. We are going to file a PIL in Allahabad High Court for Varuna in the light of Court’s orders.
For all these effort, we are expecting your help, support and contribution. Our humble appeal to all of you that please Give your full support through the moral, financial and other contributions to Save the Varuna and save the lifeline of Varanasi. Keep in touch.
Please forward this massage to your contacts, it will your support for our efforts

You may contact us on following numbers:-

-Dr. Vyomesh Chitravansh, convener,
Hamari Varuna Abhiyan,
c/o Prayash Foundation Trust,
SH3/18.B-4N, Sharda Vihar,
Meerapur (Basahi), Varanasi-221003 (India)
Email:vyomc@sify.com;forum_flash@sify.com
Cell. 91-94509608510; 91-9794254579

Surya Bhan, Sub Convener, HVA
c/oCentre for Social Development society
Sh8/40P-1, Veer Nagar Calony, Shivpur koat,
Shivpur, Varanasi.(India)
Email:csds@sify.com
Cell. 91-9452709385

Ajai Srivastava
c/o Hamari Varuna Samiti
S24/7 Taktakpur, Varanasi-221002,(India)

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The Three W’s of Water

Three international organisations, play a critical and key role in shaping the world’s views, approach to the world’s water problems.

The first, The World Water Forum is a tri-annual gathering of water experts and aimed at solving the world’s water problems. The Forum is the brainchild of the World Water Council the second organisation, a private think tank established in 1996. Among the members who helped in the formation of this Forum are UN Agencies like UNCIF, UNDP, FAO, the World Bank, IUCN and water companies like the Lyonnaise des Eaux.

The first meeting of the Forum took place in Marrakesh (1997) and since then it has met twice, at The Hague (2000) and in Kyoto in 2003. The Forum is not a platform for presenting papers, but a venue for participants to share their experiences on actions and practices that facilitate solutions to water problems.

Third major international player in the water business is the Global Water Partnership, which is a working partnership among all those involved in water management, government agencies, private companies and multilateral development agencies. The Partnership serves as a mechanism for alliance building and information exchange on integrated water resource development.

The Council produced The World Water Vision as a comprehensive document providing a long-term vision of water, life and environment. It established the World Water Commission as a forum to translate this vision into reality. The report of the World Water Commission was presented to the world by the former president of the erstwhile Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev at the World water Forum at The Hague. The report outlines the steps to be taken to solve the world water problems, which include full-cost recovery, wiping out of subsidies and off course privatisation.

The Global Water Partnership was provided the task to develop and guide a `framework of Action’ to achieve these objectives.

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