Magsaysay Awardee ‘Water Man’ Releases Jamshedpur Declaration; Vows to Make Law His Only Agenda
Key Points:
- Rajendra Singh warns rivers and mountains cannot be saved if treated as economic infrastructure
- Jamshedpur Declaration released at conclusion of National River-Mountain Conference
- Singh to hold follow-up conference in Bengaluru; invites MLAs to discuss proposed law
JAMSHEDPUR — Magsaysay Award-winning water conservationist Rajendra Singh, widely known as the “Water Man of India,” has said that treating rivers and mountains as mere economic infrastructure will lead to the destruction of both. He was presiding over the concluding session of the two-day National River-Mountain Conference at the Motilal Nehru Public School auditorium here.
Speaking on the occasion, Singh said it was unfortunate that India’s development agenda today views natural resources through exactly this lens. He added that the central government’s agenda is to extract rare materials to the maximum possible extent. In contrast, the proposed law that his group is working on specifically prohibits such an approach.
“If we keep earning in the name of ‘Mai’ — mother — then neither rivers nor mountains will survive,” he said, using the word to invoke reverence for nature as a mother figure. He urged participants to be clear about the difference between the government’s path and theirs.
Singh announced that the Jamshedpur Declaration had been formally released at the conference. However, he cautioned that merely preparing a draft bill would not result in a law. He urged all attendees to go back to their homes, neighbourhoods, and communities and discuss the declaration widely, so that public pressure could build for the legislation.
Singh said he would be travelling to Bengaluru the following day, where he has convened a separate conference on the same proposed law. Several legislators have been invited to attend that gathering. He emphasised that creating a supportive public atmosphere is essential for the law to take shape.
To build that atmosphere, Singh called for extensive use of social media and mainstream media. He urged delegates to engage in dialogue with members of parliament and state legislators. He also suggested that people undertake journeys to spread awareness, and that teachers and academics could play a particularly effective role by motivating students. He asked people to reach out to villages and gram panchayats, saying he himself would do the same.
“This law is now my only agenda,” Singh declared, adding that he has set aside all other commitments in pursuit of this single goal.
He also offered a historical perspective to underline his argument. Singh said that as long as India’s development was guided by the combined wisdom of culture and nature, the country’s share of global GDP stood at 32 per cent. He noted that this was only about 200 years ago. On the other hand, ever since the new model of development arrived, traditional knowledge has been displaced. “This development,” he said, “carries destruction within it.”
Singh added that the relationship between environment and the future on one side, and the country, culture, and nature on the other, has been poorly understood in recent times. He said India has been on a downward trajectory ever since people stopped recognising this connection between nature and culture as the basis of true development.
