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

has driven our farmers to a corner and suicides are becoming common. If
you and I were asked to produce food from a land with no fertility and not
enough water, we would also be driven to do the same. The farmer, who
gives us food, who nourishes our life, is barely nourished himself – and his
children are starved. How can we walk with our heads held high when we
know that the one who provides food for us is starved to a point where he
wants to take his own life? This is a point of great shame. I put my head
down in shame, because somehow we have not been able to take care of this.
The majority of the population in the country is involved in farming.
There is a phenomenal amount of knowledge in the farmer because of
a history of 8000 to 12,000 years of agriculture. There is a samskara of
agriculture in them. It is not just hard work – there is a knowledge that we
have taken for granted. Only less than 15% of farmers wish for their children
to get into farming. If we do not create the right situation for them, if we do
not harness this knowledge now, it may be lost forever. Using our farmers’
traditional knowledge in improving soil, augmenting the source of water
by vegetating the land in all possible ways, and managing water use with
appropriate modern technologies, is the way forward.
The solution we are proposing is that for at least one kilometer-width
on either side of all major rivers, and at least five hundred meters for smaller
rivers, the land must have tree cover. The land should be under shade so that
organic material in the soil can build up. Only then will the soil retain water
and allow it to percolate into the river. Where the government owns the
land, afforestation is a must. Where farmers own the land, it must transition
from regular crop farming to tree-based agriculture. This shift is a better
economic proposition for an Indian farmer, as it can multiply his income at
least 3 to 5 times.
This Draft Policy Recommendation is an effort to make the solution
into an economic policy with significant ecological impact. It is an outcome
of our consultation with specialists from various fields of expertise and
experience, taking into consideration the interest of all stakeholders: the
first and foremost stakeholder being the river; then the life sustained by the
river; then the farmer; the larger community; and the governments – state
and central. Making this into an implementable and enforceable policy is the
prime goal. The scientific team or I myself shall always be available to clarify
any aspects that need elaboration.
Over millennia, for generations, our rivers have embraced us and
nourished us. A time has come when we have to embrace and nourish our
rivers. It is our humble hope that the needed legislative and administrative
steps will be taken as per our suggestions and will be made into a mandatory
law. Let us move towards making a law that will treat our rivers, water
bodies and soil as National treasure.
~ Sadhguru
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