Greater Noida: On June 7, 2024, in India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, All India Mayors and RWA Summit was inaugurated by Rajan Chhibber, Advisor to the Government of Andhra Pradesh, by lighting the lamp and releasing the RWA Mission Statement.
Mayors, RWAs and the Green Society of India agree that commercial groundwater extraction should be stopped and whatever is, should be metered. Rainwater should meet the requirements and surface water and groundwater should remain in reserve.
Chairing the first session on water management, Tame Phassang, Mayor of Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh says, “By implementing the rules with conviction, more than half of the problems get solved automatically.”
Chief Guest of the program, Naresh Bansal, Rajya Sabha MP says, “We have received information about Ghaziabad App 311, in which 90% of the complaints can be resolved online only. Such an app should be made in all municipal corporations.”
He continues, “I congratulate CoRWA-UP that as an NGO they have organized such a big program in which mayors from different parts of the country are participating.”
Sunil Uniyal Gama – Mayor of Dehradun, Parmila Pandey – Mayor of Kanpur, Umesh Gautam – Mayor of Bareilly, Sonam Norbu – Administrator of Ladakh Council Padam, Chandra Mohan Gupta – Mayor of Jammu, Avinendra Kumar – Additional City Commissioner of Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam and some top representatives of RWA Federations, Ilam Singh Nagar, Dr Richa Bhadoria, Tarun Chauhan – President of Green Society of India, Swadesh Kumar, Saurabh Gandhi of United Resident Delhi presented their views on water management and unanimously passed the following resolutions:
- Groundwater exploitation in industrial and commercial institutions should be banned and where groundwater exploitation is necessary, its metering should be mandatory.
- 25% exemption in house tax should be given on 100% water recharge in multi-storey societies! There is no shortage in India’s treasury now. Incentive and willing obedience bear more results than punished mental instructions
- The cooperation of civil societies must be taken for the control of water pollution in industrial areas.
- According to Swadesh Kumar, President, the Green Society of India, “The 3Ps of sustainability are a well-known and accepted business concept. The Ps refer to People, Planet, and Profit, also often referred to as the triple bottom line. Sustainability has the role of protecting Every person, in every country on every continent, that will be impacted in some shape or form by climate change. Climate change is caused by human activities and threatens life on Earth as we know it. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated.“
he continues, “Its impacts can be devastating and include extreme and changing weather patterns and rising sea levels. It requires raising ambition, covering entire economies and moving towards climate-resilient development, while outlining a clear path to achieve net-zero emissions. Immediate measures are necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences and secure a sustainable future for generations to come”.
While conducting the program, Col Tejendra Pal Tyagi, Chief Convener of All India Mayor and RWA Summit, says, ” The level of groundwater is continuously falling. To solve the water problem, pipelines should be laid from water bodies to buildings and water should be recharged in every locality as a religious ritual.“
Jogendra Pal Singh Rotela – Mayor of Haldwani, Sunita Dayal – Mayor of Ghaziabad, Diwakar Kushwaha – Mayor of Agra, Pushyamitra Bhargava – Mayor of Indore, Lokam Anand of Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, Municipal Chief of Ladakh Stanzin Rabgais also expressed their views in the All India Mayor and RWA Summit.