MUZAFFARGARH: A large number of men, women and children from the fishermen’s community expressed their love in style for the mighty river Indus, here, on Thursday by singing rhymes as they walked to the river at Taunsa Barrage to shower flowers on its waters in commemoration of the 26th anniversary of the international day of action for rivers, celebrated every year on Mar 14.
“We showered flowers to convey the message to the people that they should love rivers and avoid polluting them with garbage, and plastics,” said Khadim Hussain, the coordinator of ‘Sindhu Bachao Tarla’ (Save River Indus).
The rally participants including fishermen, civil society representatives including lawyers and people from other walks of life walked up to Taunsa Barrage established on Indus, the biggest river of Pakistan, where they threw countless roses to turn water surface red and then sang rhymes in native Saraiki language:”River O River, Your Water Is Deep, You Are Our
Father, Our Mother and We Are Your Small Fish).”
The rally participants were holding banners, and placards inscribed with messages:”Rivers are life, keep rivers clean, their absence would hurt lives in a big way, put flowers in rivers, not the pollutants.”
Khadim said they celebrated the day every year in their own traditional and cultural style. He demanded that the natural flow of rivers must not be affected through interventions.” Rivers should have legal protection like human beings, he said and stressed on keeping the natural flow of Indus protected against interventions.
Other fishermen community representatives Muhammad Ismail, and Bashiraan Bibi also spoke about protecting the rights of fishermen and aqua life. “We love Indus. A number of lives depend on it,” they added.
They said that Indus River could be saved by ensuring the protection of forests along the river, and aqua life, keeping its natural flow unaffected and putting an end to illegal occupation.
