Letters to the EDITOR: Our responsibility towards rivers

Our responsibility towards rivers

The mere mention of the word "river" evokes a deep sense of reverence in our hearts. Rivers are symbols of civilisation and culture, providing sustenance, livelihoods, and inspiration to millions. They are the lifeblood of our planet, supporting aquatic life, regulating the climate, and shaping our landscape. Rivers have played a pivotal role in shaping human history, with many ancient civilisations flourishing along their banks. The Nile, Ganges, and Indus rivers, for example, cradled some of the world's earliest and most influential cultures. Today, rivers continue to sustain us, providing water for drinking, irrigation, and hydroelectric power. However, our actions have put these vital resources in peril. We see people, including the educated ones, carelessly dumping waste into rivers. Industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and domestic sewage choke our waterways, threatening aquatic life and human health. Climate change exacerbates these issues, altering river flows and disrupting ecosystems. It pains us to see this destruction. Don't people realize the harm they're causing? Were rivers created to dump waste? Do individuals have the right to harm them? Rather than blame others, we must recognize our own role in harming rivers. We do have the right to curse ourselves when we harm the river with our own hands and then drink from it, inviting harm upon ourselves. Rivers contribute significantly to agriculture, supporting farmers and communities. They provide habitat for diverse aquatic life, from fish to dolphins. Rivers also regulate the climate, influencing local weather patterns and mitigating the effects of extreme weather events. The economic benefits of rivers are substantial. River-based tourism generates revenue and creates jobs. Fisheries provide livelihoods for millions. Hydroelectric power plants reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Despite these benefits, rivers face numerous threats. Pollution from industrial and agricultural activities harms aquatic life. Deforestation and land degradation increase sedimentation, altering river courses. Climate change affects water flows, impacting agriculture and ecosystems. To address these challenges, we must adopt a holistic approach. Governments, NGOs, and individuals must collaborate to reduce waste and pollution, promote sustainable agricultural practices, protect riverine ecosystems, educate and raise awareness about river conservation, and support research and development of river-friendly technologies. Individual actions count. We can make a difference by using public transport or carpooling, conserving water, reducing waste, supporting organisations working on river conservation, spreading awareness, and participating in community clean-up initiatives. River conservation requires a collective effort. We must acknowledge our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions. By working together, we can restore our rivers' glory and ensure a healthier planet for future generations. The fate of our rivers hangs in the balance. Let us unite to protect these precious resources, preserving the beauty, sustenance, and inspiration they provide. Our actions today will determine the future of our rivers and our planet. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the planet to act. The time to take responsibility for our rivers is now.

Heramba Nath,

Hindumaizali, Kamrup.

Unsafe National Highways

Over the years, the state lost a number of people, while many were maimed for life in motor vehicle accidents on the roads of the state. The number of accidents on the national highways has gone up alarmingly in recent years due to the pathetic conditions of highways rather than roads for better and safer vehicular movement. The editorial 'National high-woes' published in your esteemed daily on November 11 has rightly said that the NH stretches passing through the districts of Kamrup (Metro) including Guwahati, Nagaon, Silchar, and Sonitpur recorded a comparatively higher rate of road mishaps. It is absolutely true that rash driving, overtaking at breakneck speed, and driving under the influence of intoxicants have resulted in a number of accidents. But if a serious study is conducted to find out the other reasons, black spots with a higher severity are equally responsible for the steep rise in the accident rate on the NHs. It is indeed a matter of great regret that despite collecting quite a handsome amount yearly from vehicles at nine toll gates across the state, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has miserably failed not only to maintain a proper upkeep but also maintenance of those stretches of the National Highways that have been declared complete. The very purpose of toll collection has remained unfulfilled in our state, whereas in other parts of the country, a part of the money collected from toll gates is spent for maintenance of the national highways. What the authority needs to do is identify the location in the road network or road corridor where the number of road crashes is above average for treatment in a given financial year.

By prioritising the identified black spots, the NHAI can schedule a black spot improvement programme to be executed in different stages depending upon the resources available with the authorities. It is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to highlight the disgusting status of the state's National Highways by making good use of social media. Unless the NHAI coordinates their activities, it would be impossible to prevent portions of different national highways of the state from increasingly becoming deathtraps.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.