GUWAHATI: Assam's civilisation has thrived on the banks of rivers Brahmaputra and Barak and saving them is a priority of the state government, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said today.
Sonowal was speaking at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Environment and Forest Department of Assam and Isha Foundation for rejuvenation and conservation of rivers.
'These rivers are the lifelines of our state and they have been sustaining our economy and culture since ages. We have taken initiatives to turn these rivers into valuable resources by managing their waters effectively," he said.
Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev's nationwide 'Rally for Rivers' campaign is an initiative for revitalising India's rivers.
Assam is the sixth state to sign the MoU with Isha Foundation.
The state government-organised Namami Brahmaputra and Namami Barak festivals were initiatives to revitalise these rivers and explore their potential to become major water navigation routes, Sonowal said.
He hoped the state government's collaboration with Isha Foundation would help in mitigating perennial floods in the state.
The state government is also working on forging trade links with neighbouring Bangladesh via Brahmaputra waterways and exploring possibilities of planting bamboo trees along the expressway to be built on both sides of River Brahmaputra.
Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, and Environment and Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma along with senior officials were present on the occasion.