Orissa should have policy for keeping rivers, sea unpolluted
PTI | 07:07 PM,Jul 28,2011

Balasore, (Orissa) July 28 (PTI) Orissa endowed with rich natural resources should urgently adopt a policy to keep its rivers and sea free from contamination, Magsaysay award winner Rajendra Singh said today."Unplanned industrialization and massive destruction of forest will result in drying up many perennial water sources in existing rivers in the state," Singh, popularly known as 'water man' who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership in 2001 for his pioneering work in water management, told a seminar."The state government must ensure that no industry should pose danger to water sources. Otherwise, drinking water will be an acute problem for society," he said.Stressing on the importance on soil conservation, he said, "instead of indiscriminate construction of concrete spurs and barrages on rivers, tree plantation along the river will keep it free from pollution and help soil conservation." Water conservation, particularly rain water conservation for which he became so popular was not knowledge acquired from any university, but a lesson from illiterate cultivators who learnt from their experience, Singh said. PTI COR AAM PC