On the occasion of World Water Day, National Mission for Clean Ganga, UNESCO and other partners released three animation films under its initiative “H2Ooooh! – Waterwise program for the Children of India”. The films are based on the stories submitted by school students focusing on protection and conservation of Indian Rivers.  The initiative was launched by UNESCO in July 2021, jointly with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and others. Since its launch, nearly 31000 students from 53 schools in 18 Indian states have been engaged actively, with the support from over 400 teachers.

 

Delivering his inaugural address, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, Shri G. Asok Kumar said “There is a need to conserve and preserve water for present and future generations, especially the young children should learn to respect water.”  He added that there are innumerous stories from the Indian mythologies which are connected with the moral lessons of conserving water, and taking inspiration from those, we should all strive hard to ensure that not even a single drop of water gets wasted.

 

Shri Kumar explained that no one can create water and thus it is imperative that rainwater harvesting is done to store as much water as possible. He remarked that the historical accounts of various cultures & civilizations, especially the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro epitomize the wonderful management of water through efficient drainage systems which tell us about the efforts our ancestors made to ensure handing over the precious water resources to the future generations. Shri Kumar exhorted that, in a very same manner, we should all acknowledge our duty to preserve and conserve the water resources so that our future generations can live a good and peaceful life.

 

 

While praising the beautiful paintings and pictures drawn by children at the event, the DG, NMCG said that it feels good to see the dissemination of message of water conservation through creative instincts.

 

Mr. Eric Falt, UNESCO New Delhi Director in his address said “In order to achieve SDG 6 (Water & Sanitation) it is absolutely essential to foster the knowledge and skills of young people to become Water-Ambassadors for improved water resources management in the future.” 

Divided in three phases, the project aims to spur creativity and raise awareness on water conservation and its sustainable use for students between the age of 6-14 years, by providing training and encouraging them to submit paintings and story ideas for the animated short films. During Phase I (July to August 2021), the participating schools screened 27 films produced by UNESCO on different water issues. In Phase II, 200 students underwent 2 weeks online training in script writing, character sketching and animation, and subsequently submitted their stories in a competition during the Phase III.

 

 

The best three entries were selected for the production of animation films. These are by Pranita B., R.MK. Senior Secondary School, Tamil Nadu; Aditi Mitra, Chinmaya Vidhyalaya, Kerala; and Sai Darshini, Harvest International School, Karnataka. These films bring out the message on river protection and conservation through the lens of a child.

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