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Bihar: 'Only traditional techniques can guarantee clean water'

PATNA: Water conservationist and Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh on Wednesday said only traditional techniques of water harvesting and use of indigenous knowledge along with effective protection of rivers from pollution can guarantee clean drinking water for the population.

Addressing an event — ‘Clean Water and Sanitation: A Challenge’ — organized by the United Nations Association (Bihar- Jharkhand) here, Rajendra said Bihar has been blessed with rivers.

“There will be no scarcity of water even if the Ganga dried out because more than 1,200mm rainfall occurs in state every year. People here don’t face the kind of situation that we face in Rajasthan,” he said.

“Water shortage has been evident in Banka, Gaya and Jamui districts for the last few years. People need to understand the importance of water before it’s too late,” he said

Rajendra, who is also known as the ‘Waterman of India’, stressed on using indigenous knowledge and traditional means to revive water level. “It has been witnessed that water is mostly being used for farming. So, linking of crop pattern with rain is important to stop soil erosion. For sustainable watershed management, we need to recharge groundwater and make efficient use of it. Stopping erosion and silting will result in rejuvenation of the rivers and their flow in the right direction,” he said.

“To stop soil erosion and siltation, we need to make the flow of the river slower, but not build a dam to obstruct its flow. Once the flow of river is slowed down, it prevents soil erosion in its upper area and siltation in lower areas,” he said.

Rajendra also pointed out that 54% of India faces ‘high’ to ‘extremely high’ water stress (severe drought). “Presently in India, about 72% underground water aquifer is overdraft. NASA found that large-scale irrigation caused 108 cubic kilometres of groundwater loss in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi between 2003 and 2008,” he said.

Chairman-cum- member of board of revenue, Tripurari Sharan, and students of environmental science were also present during the event.

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