Activists protest for Save River Ganga campaign at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial

New Delhi, June 18 (ANI): Activists and Hindu saints gathered at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi and urged the central government to ban building of any more dams across the River Ganga and to take adequate steps to restore its sanctity and purity.

A large number of people fighting for the River Ganga's cleanliness, pledged to launch a nationwide campaign against the government for failing to implement the promise made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure all possible steps to clean the river would be taken.

Rajendra Singh, a noted water conservationist said that the campaign would not end until the central government immediately stalled the proposed building of thirty-nine dams across River Ganga, which is revered, by almost all Hindus and even other Indians as a sacred river.

He further added. "This is not a one day event. This is a long and long journey. I don't know what the result of the journey is but we know that we are ready until end for the Ganga life."

Swami Pragyanand, a saint said, "Our Ganga has become polluted. Numerous dams have been constructed on it, and it seems, that in the near future, it would become a drain. Earlier, all drains used to flow in Ganga and become pure, but now, Ganga itself is on the verge of becoming a drain. We are working vigorously to save the Ganga. The Ganga has been declared a national river and we urge the federal government to take firm steps to save its purity, sanctity and identity."

The central government has received a 1 billion dollar loan from the World Bank to fund an eight-year project to clean the River Ganga in 2011.

In mid-80s, the central government started a mega scheme named the 'Ganga Action Plan'. But for the past two and half decades, billions of rupees have been spent with no visible results.

The accumulation of silt deposit and garbage along the banks has worried the environmentalists along with the shrinking size of the river.

Many non-governmental and social organizations are coming forward to express solidarity for the cause of clean the River Ganga campaign.

The major problem faced by rivers in India is that over ninety percent of their water has been used by hydroelectric projects and barrages besides other unlawful activities like quarrying for sand from the banks which leads to erosion. (ANI)