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A man for our rivers
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Our rivers are on the verge of extinction. The Kerala Nadi Samrakshana Samithy, through its attempts, is trying to save these rivers, says P.S. Gopinathan Nair in a chat with G. Krishnakumar.
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AS PRESIDENT of Kerala Nadi Samrakshana Samithy, P.S.Gopinathan Nair, leads a group of environmentalists. A vibrant team which is concerned about the waning of rivers in our State. Like his counterparts, he works with one aim in mind. Protection of rivers.
``Our rivers are in a bad condition. Attacked from all sides, major rivers are on the verge of extinction. The samithy, through its attempts, is trying hard to save these rivers,'' he says. After years of service, Mr.Nair retired as Joint Director, Bureau of Economics and Statistics.
``My association with the Association for Environment Protection, Aluva, helped me to come close to environment and its related issues,'' he adds. Later, when the Nadi Samrakshana Samithy was formed, he took lead in organising awareness programmes on the need to protect rivers. ``Jalatharangam'', a booklet, remains as an example of the concerted efforts of an enthusiastic team.
A perfect guide on rivers in the State, Jalatharangam is a booklet devoted fully for news and events related to rivers. Despite financial constraints, the group works hard to bring out a variety of issues before the public. ``The magazine has essays on rivers, a section devoted to legal issues and scientific and statistical details on rivers,'' he says.
The samithy is now on its way to introduce a river special every year. ``Sand-mining is the biggest threat faced by rivers. Deforestation of catchment areas is another problem. Afforestation and protection of banks should be given utmost attention to save our rivers,'' he adds. Joining hands with the Swadeshi Science Movement, the samithy workers conducted a ``Nadivandanam'' programme recently.
Writing has been one of his favourite ways of expression. From demography to global warming, Mr.Nair had penned books on a variety of subjects. Notable among them is ``Ammayku Randu, Ammomyakku Ettu''. ``Three major points in demography including fertility, mortality and migration are explained in the book,'' he says.
``How Many are We?,'' a book published by the NCERT, and ``Janasankhyapadangal'' are his other works.
``Bhoomikku Pani'', another major work, peeps into the mysteries of Nature and the impact of pollution on environment.
A lot of efforts had also gone in to highlight the issue of drinking water scarcity. He continues to write essays on how to use water economically. ``Drinking water scarcity will become a major issue in the near future. Unless steps are taken to save our water resources, drinking water supply will be affected severely.''
Pamphlets are one of the ways to tell people not to waste water. ``These pamphlets are distributed for creating awareness among the public. Due to severe financial crunch, we are not in a position to increase the copies,'' he adds. One finds these stickers pasted on walls at railway stations, bus stands and other public places.
``Rain water harvesting is the best method to save water. There is no difficulty in this process. Anyone can build a small tank and collect rain water. It could be of immense help during summer.'' He had also written a series of articles on rain water harvesting. The essays had also brought to the fore successful stories of rain water harvesting projects in other States.
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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