The ways and means of cleaning up of the country's rivers dominated discussions at the Non Fiction festival here today.
Speaking at a panel discussion on the second and final day of the festival, prominent economist Isher Judge Ahluwalia made a strong pitch on the ways and means for cleaning up rivers.
"It is not just about having toilets so that people don't defecate in the open. It is also about how we treat our waste so we don't pollute our rivers. The treatment of our solid waste and waste water is something which we have to think about scientifically," she said.
At a session titled 'Eco-nomy vs logy' moderated by journalist Pratik Kanjilal and featuring prominent wildlife conservationist and journalist Bahar Dutt, the discussion touched upon issues such as making cities the engines of growth and on whether or not it was possible to achieve growth without compromising on the environment.
Bahar talked of the hurdles in cleaning up the river Ganga.
"There is a particular stretch of the Ganga river from starting from Kanpur which is extremely polluted. The problem in this stretch is not the big tanneries and industries because they have already set up water treatment plants. The problem is the unorganised sector and the smaller industries which are the main culprits in this regard," she said.
Elaborating on the matter, Dutt also brought up the issue of big dams.
"The primary problem with the Ganga is the number of dams which have been set up on its upper reaches. There are over 600 hydropower dams in that reach. We must also address that problem" she said.
Ahluwalia, meanwhile, stressed on the need for greater individual awareness.
"As educated people, we must think about this matter seriously. We must do our duty by doing the small things right."
Ahluwalia also said that it was very much possible to balance economic growth without affecting the environment.
"It is not only possible to balance the two, but it is imperative that growth takes place with the environment in mind. There is no question of choosing one over the other."
Bahar also read out an excerpt from her book 'Green Wars' which talks on how tension between a modernising economy and saving the planet can be resolved.
