by Ranjan K. Panda The ability of rivers to sustain biodiversity and deliver ecosystem services is governed by the degree to which their natural flow regime and connectivity are maintained. No matter how one perceives a river, whether based on its existence, importance to human or key to progress, if rivers are destroyed, civilisations will perish. In India, dams are often symbols of development in the popular mind. It’s important to build public perceptions around the ecosystem values of rivers, writes Ranjan K. Panda in this commentary. The views in this commentary are that of the author. The other day I asked my friends on social media: What is that one word which comes to their mind when they see a river? Hundreds of them replied and almost everyone said they felt river means water, life. Many equated rivers with freedom, flow of life. For many years I had been wondering if fellow human beings had completely distanced themselves from rivers. These responses dispr...
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