How can India rise to the challenge of saving each of its rivers? What is the best way to prevent floods and draughts? How can India ensure water security? What goals should India's set to protect its streams? The wisdom of Rainman and WaterCatcher, Magsaysay Award winner Dr. Rajendrasingh captured in a few slides in the form of an action plan.

1. Saving India’s Rivers
Dr. Anupam Saraph

2. The Science
• Most small streams contribute to preserving the flows in a river
• Small streams flow when saturated sub-surface flows release excess water
• Draughts prevented when sub-surface flows are protected
• Sub-surface flows are protected when sand preserved and vegetation in streams is
not removed
• Draughts happen when small streams are destroyed
• Floods happen when small streams disappear and cannot buffer release of water
into rivers
• Floods are prevented when trees and vegetation in small streams buffers streams
discharge rate
• Pollutants in small streams pollute groundwater and rivers

3. The Actions Needed
• Declare all small streams as protected and reserved
• Allow natural vegetation to grow along small streams
• Undertake afforestation along stream banks to protect strems
• Ensure encroachment from small streams is removed
• Ensure small streams are not “cleaned” of sand and vegetation
• Map small streams and list them
• Ensure no discharge of any effluents into small streams
• Build small bunds to allow the flow in small streams slow and recharge
the sub-surface and ground

4. The Mission
To protect every small stream

5. The Goals
• List and map all small streams
• Declare all small streams as protected and reserved
• Remove all encroachments
• Remove effluent pipes and discharges from small streams
• Afforest small stream banks
• Publish state of the small streams report
• Pass the Right to Water Security Act in each State and Right to
River Conservation Act in the Centre