The second day of the International Peace Festival at Dav College in Sector 10 saw the participation of around 500 students from across 10 nations who raked their brains to find ways to conserve water. The workshop on water conservation was attended by eminent environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna.

Bahuguna asked the youth to grow more tress for rains and for peace and prosperity that comes only with a balance in environment; both internal and external. “The environmentalist about the relevance of trees in the ecological balance of the planet and also planted a few saplings on the occasion. The agenda of the next world war will be water if we continue to waste it senselessly.” Justice Rajesh Bindal said many international water treaties and litigations sorted out by the courts for sharing of water. He made a special reference to famous Indus Water Treaty, signed by India and Pakistan post independence with the intervention of UN. He said problems related to water sharing are on the rise between nations and states and so are the litigations. Hence, there is a greater need for laws and reforms for water conservation.

A documentary by Shashank on the Ganga caught participant’s imagination for its stark realism. The film depicted how the bed of the river, now dried, is used as pitch for game of cricket by children. Some participants also displayed their paintings and graphics on water conservation. Feroz Faisal from NWFP, Pakistan, talked about the shortage of resources in NWFP due to war like situations in the Swat region.

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