Experts stress on biodiversity conservation to keep Ganga clean

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature jointly orgsed a one day workshop on the occasion of "The International Day for Biological Diversity" here.

The aim of the workshop was to develop a road map for expanding and upscaling sustainable agriculture in the Ganga basin in order to amplify the impact of several other initiatives of NMCG on the health of the holy river.

While highlighting the impact of pesticides that flow into the Ganga, U.P Singh, the Secretary in Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said, "One of the reasons for the pollution in river Ganga is also because of the large scale use of chemical fertiliser, pesticide, etc. We have already taken up a programme with the Ministry of Agriculture and Ayush to have a kind of orgc farming."

The Namami Gange programme, which is an integrated Ganga conservation mission, is working towards realising the vision of Aviral and Nirmal Ganga. The aim and objectives of the NMCG are to ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river by adopting a river basin approach.

The mission also focuses on maintaining minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga spoke to about biodiversity conservation and mentioned that the theme of this year's International Biodiversity Day is biodiversity food and health.

He added that the NMCG has orgsed this workshop with experts, who are primarily focusing on how biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable water management can help in Ganga rejuvenation.

River Ganga has significant economic, environmental and cultural value in India. The river traverses a course of more than 2,500 km through the plains of north and eastern India. Along with serving 26 per cent of India's land mass, the Ganga basin also extends into parts of Nepal, China, and Bangladesh.

( With inputs from ANI )