Dispatches

CONSERVATION

The rights of rivers

Shrishtee Bajpai

 

The Ramganga river, Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. Photo: Ashish Kothari
A protest in the backwaters of the Narmada as part of the Narmada Bachao Andolan’s “jal satyagraha” at Bichoula village in Harda district, Madhya Pradesh, on September 1, 2013. Photo: The Hindu photo archives
Damming of rivers is another pathway to breaking human-nature links. Photo: NEERAJ VAGHOLIKAR
Construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada. Photo: ASHISH KOTHARI
People performing rituals in the Falgu river in Gaya, Bihar, during the “pitra paksha” on September 25. Photo: PTI
A FISHERMAN prepares for angling in the Ken river, Madhya Pradesh. Communities living alongrivers are part of the river ecosystem. Photo: ASHISH KOTHARI
The Ganga at Bhagalpur, Bihar. While people revere rivers, they also pollute them with their activities. Photo: ASHISH KOTHARI
The Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. In March 2020, the Punjab and Haryana High Court passed an order declaring the Sukhna Lake a living entity. Photo: PTI
The Bhigwan lake near Pune. Rivers and lakes are important habitats for waterbirds and aquatic creatures. Photo: SHRISHTEE BAJPAI
Reneh Falls, Ken (Karnavati) river, threatened by the river interlinking poject. Photo: ASHISH KOTHARI
The Indus in Ladakh is threatened with proposals for multiple hydropower projects. Photo: ASHISH KOTHARI
The Indus-Zanskar confluence, Ladakh. The Zanskar is one of the largest free-flowing rivers in India. Photo: shrishtee Bajpai
The Ken flowing through a gorge in Madhya Pradesh. Photo: ASHISH KOTHARI
Workers unload sand from ferries on the bank of the Ganga despite the Bihar government’s ban on sand mining, in Patna on September 23. Photo: PTI
The Mula Mutha river in Pune is dammed and heavily polluted. Photo: ASHISH KOTHARI
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