The All-Assam Engineers’ Association (AAEA), a forum of graduate engineers in northeast India, appreciates Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat for making a fervent appeal to care for nature and protect Mother Earth. In his annual address on the occasion of Vijayadashami, the RSS chief urged everyone to conserve water, avoid single-use plastic, plant tree saplings, and ultimately save the planet for all living beings.
Sarsanghchalak Bhagwat, who leads the 99-year-old largest socio-cultural organization in the world, noted in his address from Nagpur on October 12, 2024, that the ongoing material development journey, driven by an incomplete ideology of consumerism, has become a path of destruction for all of Earth’s creation. He pointed out that rapid deforestation has destroyed greenery and dried up rivers, while chemicals have poisoned food, water, and air over the past few decades.
For sustainable, holistic, and integrated development based on Bharatiya traditions, Bhagwat called for a unanimous ideological consensus across the country. However, until that is achieved, he urged everyone to adopt three small but important initiatives. First, use water sparingly and harvest rainwater. Second, avoid using single-use plastic. Third, increase greenery through massive plantation programs, with an emphasis on conventional tree species.
“Assam’s government should launch a large-scale initiative to promote the practice of harvesting nature’s priceless gift, as we are a rain-fed state. By doing so, we can set an example for water-scarce populations around the world, who may face a severe freshwater crisis by 2050,” said AAEA president Er. Kailash Sarma, working president Er. NJ Thakuria, and secretary Er. Inamul Hye.
The forum appealed to the concerned authorities to formulate policies making rainwater harvesting mandatory in every household, especially in urban apartments with a large number of tenants. They argued that rain provides relatively clean water at no cost, which can be preserved and used as needed, using simple and affordable technologies. Rainwater can be used as a primary source or as a supplement to wells or ponds.
“The growing reliance on underground water, even for large-scale irrigation, may pose a serious threat to already depleted groundwater levels. It is time (and also the responsibility of everyone) to support groundwater research so it can sustain the increasing population in the future,” said the AAEA, adding that rainwater must be recognized as a resource (and not something to discard) for essential human use.