Parkashpur( Hamirpur)-- In a remarkable display of community spirit and zeal , peoples of Parkashpur in district Hamirpur of Himachal Pradesh have launched a campaign to clean up the areas polluted water bodies, filling the gap left by the government's inaction under the aegis of World Heritage Foundation on the eve of International Water Day with the ambitious theme 'Water as Elixer of Life'.
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The flagship program was inaugurated by an internationally acclaimed environmentalist Dr P.C. Sharma, Founder Chairman, World Heritage Foundation and was participated by hundreds of volunteers, pilgrims, students , villagers, professionals etc from the region who spearheaded the campaigns to clear streams, channels, and ponds of waste, restoring their natural flow and making their water potable. It was a grassroots movement which began with the cleaning of the ancient water bodies historically associated with great saints , sages and sidhas and would be expanded to dozens of villages across the various stressed segments of Himachal Pradesh and adjoining states. Till now more than 60 heritage water bodies which are crying for rejuvenation have been identified and documented by the global foundation.
Joined by local volunteers, the youth, women and general public who cleaned three water bodies in a rivulet at Parkashpur in Hamirpur district which are known since time immemorial and two water bodies in Barchhetu falling under district Bilaspur from solid waste dumped by residents into the streams and its banks and reservoirs which used to be the main sources of water for thousands of locals, says Dr Sharma. It looked like a garbage dumping site. When the authorities did not come forward, we took it upon ourselves and launched a weekly campaign to clean it, ” said Dr Sharma.
The noble initiative has inspired and motivated all especially youth in other villages to restorethe glory of the ancient water bodies. "Our cleanliness drive is yielding good results, and the stream is cleaner now, "says a local volunteer.
The drive has also awakened people, and they have stopped dumping solid waste into the stream. Renowned doctors from globally famed Charitable Multispeciality Health Care Centre led by well known specialists namely Dr Vanshish Sankhyan and Dr Varun Sankhyan have voluntarily come forward to technically support the movement and motivated the people's through awareness sessions by instituting multimedia applications in their outreach programs. They also educated and motivated the youth and general public about importance of clean water and holistic hygiene.They also deliberated about bad impact of contaminated water on oral health and other serious ailments commonly infesting the populace at
large.The prominent litterateur Dr TK Sankhyan educated the students by citing the literary importance of water for the mankind as a whole.
It was also decided to organize one-month clean and green campaign every year. These community-led initiatives have not only improved the environment but also fostered a sense of community and ownership of natural resources among locals. However, it has also exposed the government's apathy towards cleaning up water bodies.
Schemes like Swachh Bharat Mission, Amrit Sarovar and MGNREGA implemented by the Rural Development Department provide no such provision for cleanliness of the water bodies. Under the Amrit Sarovar Mission launched in April 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rejuvenate traditional springs and ponds, government claims to have rejuvenated ancient water bodies under this mission through MGNREGA. Dr Sharma said that maintaining cleanliness and conserving water and energy along with total biodiversity is the responsibility of peoples as much as it is the responsibility of the government.