ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/3/2005 11 February 2005
Australian High Commissioner to open Clean Ganges youth campaign in Varanasi
The Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr John McCarthy, will inaugurate the third Swatcha Ganga Chhatra Sangam at Tulsi Ghat in Varanasi on 11 February. The program will run over two days and involve around 300 young people from Varanasi schools, as well as a youth delegation from Australia.
The campaign is organised by the Varanasi-based Sankat Mochan Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Ganga and promoting health and education for the less privileged, and Oz GREEN, an independent Australian environmental NGO.
Mr McCarthy commended the campaign by Indian and Australian volunteers as a worthy contribution to raising awareness about environmental and social issues. "I am pleased to note that two reputed voluntary organisations from our countries have come together to address issues of common concern," he said. "Both organisations are working in the critical area of water management, which is one of the highest environmental priorities for both Australia and India," Mr McCarthy said.
Mr McCarthy will also inaugurate new water supply schemes in the villages of Serai Mohan and Dinapur installed by the Sankat Mochan Foundation and Oz GREEN, with the support of AusAID, the Australian Government's development cooperation arm, and funds from the Australian public.
Established in 1992, Oz GREEN has developed innovative programs to enable communities to make special contributions to revitalise rivers. Oz GREEN is active within Australia and in India, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and the Mekong River Basin. It has been involved with the Swatcha Ganga Campaign since 1992.
The Swatcha Ganga (Clean Ganges) campaign was founded by Dr V B Mishra, a former Professor and Head of Department of Hydrological Engineering at the Benares Hindu University (BHU). He was included in the UN Global 500 Roll of Honour at Rio in 1992.
The Australian youth in the program come from the School of Total Education on the Condamine River, Warwick (near the headwaters of the Darling River), and have been participating in Oz GREEN's program for two years. The students' journey to India is supported by the Myer Foundation, Australia-India Council (AIC), the International Rivers Foundation and the Warwick community.
For further enquiries, please contact Mr Andrew Adzic, Head (Development Cooperation), Australian High Commission, on telephone 011 51494460.