Ganga means different things to different people-she's the river,
the life-giver, the mother and the Goddess.
Apart from being India's longest and most revered river, Ganga and her
tributaries traverse eleven states and provide livelihood to nearly 43 per cent
Indians. Despite being so special, Ganga has been getting polluted, with
its ecology and flow endangered. Many initiatives to clean the river ended
up either being hugely inadequate or dismal failures.
The dilemma before the new team of National Mission for Clean Ganga
was not just the enormity of the task, but also having to bear the scar of
past failures. This haunting legacy stayed with them every step of the way
in their long, complex and daunting journey.
So, how do you even begin to think of re-imagining, rejuvenating and
reconnecting with Ma Ganga? From the beginning, the team adopted a
radically different and holistic approach to resolve the 'wicked problem'
while dealing with multiple stakeholders and their clash of ideas on the
road ahead.
This insider's account by two change-makers chronicles this long and complex
journey so far transcending the challenges of over abstraction of water,
pollution abatement, bringing behavioural change and making collaborative
partnerships to achieve their goals. More importantly, it brought back some
of the love and respect of the people for its Mother and Goddess.
The authors are categorical that the task is not yet over, much more needs
to be done. However, the successful journey so far, as demonstrated by the
findings of this book, is a testament to the fact that a job well begun is
not just half done, but also provides a road map for the future successes.
