PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Ramnagar
To free Ramganga river—considered the lifeline of the Corbett Tiger Reserve—from pollution, a joint workshop involving various environmental organisations was organised under the aegis of CTR on Friday. In the workshop deliberations were held on the conservation of the river. All present agreed that a concrete and comprehensive action plan would be drawn up.
Addressing the workshop, the CTR director, Saket Badola said that Ramganga could be saved through active participation from local villagers. “Every resident must understand that keeping the river clean is their responsibility, too,” he said. He further stated that conserving Ramganga is not only about protecting water resources, but also about safeguarding Himalayan culture and biodiversity, which is a collective responsibility. “For this purpose, modern and advanced technologies will be employed,” he stated.
On the occasion, the scientist J A Johnson explained that through metering protocols, detailed data on the water quality of Ramganga river, including its impact on aquatic life such as the Mahseer fish, would be collected to ensure scientifically driven conservation efforts.
Expressing concern over increasing levels of pollution of the river, Sumantu Ghosh said that water pumping, stone crushers and the rapidly increasing number of hotels and resorts are emerging as major threats to the Ramganga.
Among others who attended were WWF senior director Suresh Babu, coordinator Miraj Anwar, scientists Neha Rawat and A Ansari and SDO, CTR, Amit Gwasakoti besides several environmental experts and forest officials.
