Gorakhpur: Noted water conservationist and Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh on Tuesday said a ‘Sanatan model of development’— integrating economic progress with environmental protection — can help India regain its status as Vishwaguru.Singh was addressing inaugural session of the seminar on ‘Environmental Challenges with Development: Collective Efforts for Sustainable Growth’, organised jointly by Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and Mahyogi Gorakhnath University.Singh said India’s ancient knowledge systems had long emphasised harmony between humans and nature. He said, “Sanatan means eternal and ever-renewing. Ancient India’s development was rooted in sustainability. The Vedas and Upanishads spoke of human duties towards nature centuries ago and India must revisit this model to address present-day environmental challenges.” Highlighting growing water crisis, he termed it a global issue with local solutions and stressed need for water literacy and maintaining balance between water discharge and recharge. “Unplanned development has affected rivers’ purity and flow. Imposing western dam designs on Indian rivers has disturbed ecological systems. Presently, 365 districts face water stress,” he said. Calling UP “nature’s favourite child”, Singh said the state must align cropping patterns with rainfall to prevent future water scarcity. Former chief secretary and state transformation commission CEO Manoj Kumar Singh said environmental protection was collective responsibility. Additional chief secretary (forest) Anil Kumar said 95% door-to-door waste collection in UP is being processed and 2.5 billion saplings have been planted in eight years, increasing forest cover by about 500 sq km.UPPCB chairman Ravindra Pratap Singh said rapid development must go hand in hand with environmental safeguards.
