Experts, students discuss India’s river future, freshwater ecosystems

Amid growing concerns over the deteriorating condition of India’s rivers, a daylong workshop at Raja Narendralal Khan Women’s College (Autonomous) in Midnapore on Monday brought together experts, students, and community representatives to emphasise the critical intersection of science, ecology, and public involvement in safeguarding freshwater ecosystems.

- BISWABRATA GOSWAMI

Organised under the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) component of the SEBR/ANRF Project of the central government, the programme underscored that the future of river conservation hinges as much on informed citizens as on scientific intervention. Nearly a hundred postgraduate students from the departments of geography and zoology participated in the workshop on “River Health, Ecology and Sustainability,” gaining practical exposure to methods of river assessment, pollution mitigation, and ecological monitoring. College principal Dr Swapna Ghorai, inaugurating the event, urged students to look beyond textbooks and become active participants in environmental protection initiatives. She proposed mobilising a group of 50 trained women volunteers to undertake regular mo