Manoj Misra | The Defender of Yamuna Premium

Though a forester by profession, Manoj Misra had a passion for rivers that was infectious, write K.J. Joy and Shashi Shekhar. Subsribe to The Hindu to read this tribute

Manoj Kumar Misra, the defender of Yamuna and many other rivers too, is no more. He passed away on June 4 after battling Covid-19 for nearly two months, at a time when many of us thought that the pandemic is over and done with.

Though a forester by profession — he spent 22 years in the Indian Forest Service in the undivided Madhya Pradesh — protection of rivers became his mission. With Manoj, his passion for rivers was infectious. As convenor of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan he used everything at his disposal to protect the Yamuna: from writing in conventional and social media, making various representations, conducting awareness programmes, reaching out to riverine communities to taking up litigation in the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

It was due to his constant efforts since 2011 that the NGT gave the 2015 verdict that led to the Nirmal Yamuna Rejuvenation plan. In March 2016, Manoj took on the three-day World Cultural Festival on the flood plains of Yamuna, taking the matter to the NGT, which formed a Supervisory Committee headed by this writer (Shashi Shekhar), based on whose report the NGT imposed a fine of ₹5 crore for the pollution and damage caused by the event. Perhaps even more significant was Manoj’s enormous contribution to drafting the Subordinate Legislation on Ganga, which provides the legal framework for the river even today.

Manoj helped the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) draft the first set of rules for River Regulation Zones. He questioned locating hydro-power projects in the eco-fragile Himalayas and was a vocal critique of the newfound imagination of river beautification in the form of river front developments in the urban stretches of our rivers, which adversely impacted the integrity of river systems.

When I (Shashi Shekhar) was Additional Secretary, MoEF, devastating floods and landslides occurred in and around Kedarnath in June 2013. The Supreme Court appointed the Ravi Chopra committee to specifically look into the relationship between construction of hydro-power projects and the Kedarnath tragedy. As Secretary, I had to submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court. The inputs provided by Manoj were very crucial in preparing the affidavit, which has helped to a great extent in stopping further reckless construction in Uttarakhand. There are many such occasions when Manoj has provided insights to those who are in government so that they can take an informed position. I call these as examples of ‘activism from inside’ and ‘activism from outside’ coming together to produce positive results.

It was his passion for rivers that drove him, along with a few others, to set up India Rivers Forum (IRF) in 2014. IRF is an active network of organisations and individuals dedicated to the rejuvenation and restoration of rivers. Manoj was the one who held it all together.

Manoj provided substantive inputs into the draft National Water Policy 2020 prepared by the Mihir Shah committee. Both of us were also members of this committee. His presentation before the committee and the note he submitted provided us glimpses of his worldview around rivers and their governance. He believed in the existential rights of rivers. He held that healthy rivers are essential for water security of the country. For him protection and restoration of rivers is a Constitutional duty of citizens as well as the state.