Discussing a Clean River Ganga and the Water Parliament

Discussing a Clean River Ganga and the Water Parliament

February 17, 2019

Hon’ble Sri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister & Hon’ble Sri Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat are welcomed by Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji to the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela

Discussing a Clean River Ganga and the Water Parliament at the Kumbh Mela with Hon’ble Sri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister

Close and intricate link between protecting our rivers and the Girl Child shares the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat Sri Vijay Rupani during visit to Parmarth Niketan Kumbh Camp

Prayagraj: Hon’ble Sri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping and Road Transport & Highways, and Hon’ble Sri Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat, were each welcomed by Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President of Parmarth Niketan, Dr Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji, Parmarth devotees and pilgrims from across India and around the world to the beautiful Parmarth Kumbh camp.


Sri Nitin Gadkariji and Pujya Swamiji had a brief discussion centered on advancing the spread of the Geotube physio-remediation water treatment programs.

Pujya Swamiji first brought this technology in a pilot plan in Rishikesh on 20th June, 2018, creating India’s first ‘Sewage to Selfie point’ through a combined effort of European scientists and Indian engineers using a mix of external resources and materials with local ones. Following the successful inauguration in June 2018, the Indian engineers then integrated the technology and learning to develop all of the necessary resources in India, and the second ‘Sewage to Selfie point’ was inaugurated in Lucknow in October 2018 by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Sri Yogi Adityanathji, Sri Nitin Gadkariji, and Pujya Swamiji.

India’s Central Government and the State Government of Uttar Pradesh were so impressed with success of these projects that they are also utilising this technology proactively to clean up the nalas (sewers) flowing into the Yamuna and Ganga rivers, especially in Prayagraj ahead of the Kumbh Mela, resulting in the clean waters in which the tens of millions of pilgrims have taken their sacred snans.

During their meeting today, Pujya Swamiji emphasized bringing the technology to the Assi and Varuna rivers that come together in Varanasi, and to create more ‘Sewage to Selfie points’ in major cities along the Ganga, such as Kanpur and Patna. Pujya Swamiji lauded the efforts of the National Mission for Clean Ganga and was glad to be assured by Union Minister Sri Nitin Gadkari that by 2020 no untreated sewerage would run into our sacred National River Ganga.

Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji said: “The adoption of this technology and the successful efforts to develop the framework and resources in India, align with Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modiji’s ‘Make In India’ program. Today we move beyond ‘Make In India’ to ‘Make India’! When our rivers are clean, our nation is healthy. When there is Ganga, there is tomorrow. As Ganga thrives, India thrives. If we let Ganga die, India dies.”

Pujya Swamiji warmly invited the Honble Union Minister to inaugurate and lead the Water Parliament (Jal Sansad) on the 19th February at the Kumbh Mela being planned by the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Ganga Action Parivar & Parmarth Niketan in association with many like-minded organisations to raise awareness and action to protect and conserve our water resources.


Pujya Swamiji welcomed Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Sri Vijay Rupaniji, and his wife to the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela this morning. In a tour around the camp and after learning about the innovative projects and initiatives run by the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance and Parmarth Niketan the Hon’ble Chief Minister expressed his great appreciation for Pujya Swamiji’s visionary leadership and efforts. Pujya Swamiji also shared about the Toilet Café in the camp, an inventive effort uniting sanitation and meditation to bring eco-friendly ideas for toilets to ‘Make India’ in Gujarat. Pujya Swamiji shared of his first experience with a Toilet café at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, an event that inspired Him to bring a Toilet café to the Kumbh Mela, bringing together Sanitation in the land of Meditation and spirituality.


Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Vijay Rupani shared, “Pujya Swamiji’s slogan Beti Hai to Kal Hai Aur Ganga Hai to Jal Hai is the need of the hour. The protection of the girl child, ending child marriage and saying yes to her education and empowerment is crucial to the progress of our nation. Similarly without Ganga there is no water. Ganga symbolises not just all water bodies but all of Mother Nature her protection and preservation is crucial to the future of festivals like the Kumbh Mela that are entirely centered around her flowing waters. Let us take these innovative messages and be the change we want to see in our nation.”

Both the Union Minister and the Chief Minister affirmed their commitment to these initiatives by joining in the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance’s traditional water blessing ceremony, taking part in the sacred yagna ceremony and offered flowers to the beautiful Ganga Murti at the Parmarth Shivir. They also signed GIWA and UNICEF’s historic signature campaign to get the most signatures on a flag for a single cause to end child marriage and say yes to education, the campaign attempts to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records.

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