Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
of plantation need not be limited to the 1-kilometer lateral distance
from the river, but should be determined by the topography of the area.
To initiate tree plantation on farmland, the policy recommendation
covers different means to de-risk farmers, who form the majority
of stakeholders in these lands. To see the effect of this intervention,
governments can choose a contiguous stretch of 100-200 kilometers
along a river and implement the solution – like the state of Maharashtra
has decided to do on the Chandrabhaga River. The idea of a contiguous
stretch is now christened as a “saturation model”. A saturation model
is emphasized because the effect of tree plantation on rivers will be
visible and convincing for a farmer only when done on a substantial
scale. Further, the resulting visible changes and economic wellbeing for
the farmers will also inspire others to plant trees on riversides – thereby
becoming a peoples’ movement to revitalize our rivers. Every inch of land
can act as a catchment and augment river flow and groundwater. We must
clear the misconception that only a certain valley in the upper riparian
region is a catchment. Hence, it is recommended to act quickly on the
revitalization of rivers, with every state planting trees in the target area
along a contiguous stretch of about 100 kilometers, as a precursor to a
saturation model.
DRAFT
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