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Mewat residents oppose new units

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: Members of two unique river parliaments— the Arvari Sansad and Bhagani Sansad— in Rajasthan met at Mandalwas in Alwar district's Rajgarh on Tuesday to announce their opposition to the coming up of water consuming and polluting industrial units in the Mewat region.

Rainwater harvesting

The residents of the areas falling in the basin of the Arvari and Bhagani, the rivers rejuvenated by rainwater harvesting by the locals, also pledged not to sell their land to the industries.

Jal Satyagrah

The two river parliaments together approximately account for an area of 900 sq km in about 150 villages in Alwar and Jaipur districts. The joint meeting of the two river bodies, presided over by Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh, pledged its support to the Jal Satyagrah, started from Gandhi Smriti in Delhi on April 18 by Jal Biradari.

The groups in a unanimous resolution declared that they would not sell land in Alwar and Jaipur districts to industrial units, which held the potential for consumption of large amounts of water and also posed the threat of causing water pollution. The groups had three days back held a satyagraha at Tappukuda in Tijara tehsil of Alwar protesting against the construction of a liquor unit owned by United Breweries.

"The State Government agency RIICO is trying to establish more units in the river basins of the Aravari and Bhagani eying the water available in the region. This water belongs to the communities which created and preserved it by restoring the dead rivers in the past," said Rajendra Singh, who is also the president of Jal Biradari.

To revive lake

Jal Biradari, a group of persons working for water sustainability, would protest adding any more water guzzling liquor and beer units in the Mewat region of Rajasthan, Mr.Singh said. The group would work to revive the lake at Bhatti mines at Mahipalpur in Delhi, he added.

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