Work begins to rejuvenate the river Palar
"The Whole world is struggling for water and it is said that if a Third World War happens it would be because of water,” said The Art of Living Founder, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, bringing the attention of the citizens of Kaiwara (dist. Chikkaballapur) to a possible solution for their water problems. Gurudev was attending the inaugural of the Palar river rejuvenation taken up by volunteers of his organization.
Emphasizing the importance of water, Gurudev added, “ There is a saying in Sanskrit, that for people, water is God. There is no divinity without water. ”
The event was attended by Member of Legislative Council, Mr. Sudarshan; Member of Legislative Assembly, MR. Krishna Reddy J.K; Zilla Parishad CEO, Mrs. Kaveri; Environmentalist, Mr. Yellappa Reddy; Farmer representative, Mr. Rajgopal and Former IFS Officer and Geologist, Dr. Lingaraju.
The Art of Living had begun work for Palar’s rejuvenation, the removal of silt and reviving the small streams which flowed to the river after the rains. Initial work has commenced in Phase-1 on 10km streams, covering 35 villages. Until now, 40 recharge wells, 2 recharge borewells, 2 boulder checks and 1 water pool have been constructed. Narayanavana, a grove of medicinal plants with 30 different varieties has been created.
Throwing light on the continuing work to rejuvenate the river Palar, Sri Lingaraju, Project Director, said, “Our aim is to recharge ground water and rejuvenate river streams, ponds and lakes so that farmers get required water. "
Result of the work:
Technical expert for the Palar Project, Mr. K.R Shettar shares “ In general, at least three monsoons are necessary to see any impactful change. But, in Kaiwara, in a single monsoon, Government borewells have improved in ground water levels."
While soil erosion causes silt depositing in lakes, massive planting of trees will prevent soil erosion and helps in retaining ecological balance. Along with the farmers, The Art of living has started planting trees. 3000 trees were planted within one month. This will continue and 10000 saplings will be planted in the next few months.
A Narayana Vana has been created at Kaiwara, as part of the rejuvenation project. There are 32 species of rare and endangered plants, like Sita Ashoka (helpful in relieving stress and addressing gynecological problems), "Kadambi" (traps dust) and Atti tree (other organisms and birds nest in this tree). In total, there are around 200 trees and 2,000 herbs and shrubs in this Vana.
River rejuvenation initiatives by The Art of Living :
The volunteers of the Art of Living have been working on river projects in Maharashtra and other parts of Karnataka.
- In Karnataka, the Kumudavathi and the Vedavathi rivers have been revived.
- Several villages in Maharashtra are today springing to life again, thanks to the Jal Jagruti Abhiyan. The multi-pronged initiative of The Art of Living is addressing water issues in a concerted and effective manner in Sangli, Latur, Osmanabad and Jalgaon.
So far, 41 rivers rejuvenation projects have been successfully undertaken by The Art of Living.
Palar Then and Now 40 years ago:
The majestic Palar river flowed through the 3 states of Karnataka, Andhra and Tamil Nadu, with lush natural vegetation decorating its banks. Flowing even in time of drought, the river fed and replenished numerous wells and streams, ultimately merging into the Bay of Bengal. Today, the soil has corroded, basin is filled with silt and the wells and streams are a thing of the past.
