Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Pollution and mafias linked to the construction industry. These are the greatest threat to the "health" of the Ganges, the sacred river for Hindus and vital for the population and the economy of India.
Speaking to AsiaNews Fr. Anand Mathew IMS, who directs the cultural association Vishwa Jyoti Communications in Varanasi, is engaged in environmental protection and promotion of human rights and primary education. "For me - he explains - as a Christian and as a human being, the first concern is to work with God to protect creation. Water is an essential aspect of this mission”.
The Ganges is a vital source of drinking water for India. A quarter of the 1.2 billion population live in cities and villages along its course. Along 2500 km from Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas (Uttarkhand), through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. From here it flows into Bangladesh, where it is called Padma, and joins the Brahmaputra and flows into the Bay of Bengal with the world's largest delta.
"Our prophetic mission - says the priest to AsiaNews - is to save these waters not only from the construction mafia, but also pollution. The Ganges is contaminated equally by household waste and industrial pollutants, which are thrown into the river without being treated. This represents a danger to the health of over 400 million people, who use its waters directly or indirectly daily”.
Their work focuses primarily on the tributaries of the great river, "Our prime minister is always talking about cleaning the Ganges, but the cleanliness and 'cosmetic' beautification only takes place on the riverbanks. However the Ganges cannot be cleaned up if we do not address the rivers Varuna and Assi, surrounding Varanasi first ".
It is inevitable, says Fr. Mathew, "that the poor and the marginalized are most affected. They have their own indigenous traditions, most of which take place along the basin. Their holidays and their cultures are based on these rivers. Many dwell along the quays and focus their survival on the River: they are fishermen, sailors, launderers".
But now, because of unauthorized building these people "are losing everything." Construction companies, he says, "are not only building along the banks, but even in the middle of the river. It is clear that the whole survival of the poor has been stripped away. This for us is a Christian mission, we want to give back to the poor what they have lost. "
The director of the cultural association recalls: "For the World Day of Peace 2010, Pope Benedict XVI chose the theme 'If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation'. This is very true and essential in our mission. If we fail to preserve and protect creation, we cannot aspire to peace. And water is the founding resource of everything. "