Campaigning for Water: 'jal jan jodo'

LUCKNOW: Activists and experts working on water issues from eleven states have launched a 'jal jan jodo' campaign under the leadership of Rajendra Singh, Magsaysay award winner, to connect people with water conservation issues.

Pradeep Jain Aditya, minister of state for rural development said that government schemes alone will not be able to end the water crisis in the country. To make them effective, people's participation and ownership is absolutely essential. People's water alliance or jal jan jodo abhiyan'' will take up issues such as decentralized community management of water, revival of traditional water harvesting systems and reviving dying rivers.

Chairperson of Gandhi Peace Foundation, Radha Bahen, said that commercialization of water to the detriment of the weaker sections of society needs to be stopped.

Gandhian thinker Dr SNN Subbarao, said that the participants in a two-day consultation, were of the opinion that the regeneration of village commons and natural resources needed to be brought back on people's agenda once again. He also released the memoir of the geological society of India, Bangalore titled ' Groundwater in drylands of Rajasthan- Arwari model of management'.