An all women expedition team is all set in their 55 day journey along the banks of holy river Ganges as part of their project 'Access Water' - an initiative to raise awareness about the global water problem and safety of drinking water. Through this expedition they want to "inspire the future leaders of the world to demand safe and abundant world, starting with access to clean water".
The team consisting of eight women from six continents has already began their trek on October 17 from Goumukh, the source of Ganges, and will campaign in cities like Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Patna, the major cities of India flourishing on the banks of the scared river before concluding at Kolkata in early December, covering a total distance of 2,400 km.
Their leader, Ann Bancroft explains, "We chose the Ganges to begin the Access Water series because the area represents a great example of a deep-rooted dependence on water for human existence." She further adds, "There is a critical need to educate students and local communities about the water crisis that not only affects overpopulated areas like India, but to also connect the same problems to their own backyard."
The multinational team includes members from the US, Norway, Israel, China, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and India and is supported by UNESCO and Google. The expedition is backed by Bancroft Arnesen Explore (BAE). "Access Water" also supports Indian Government's project for 'Clean Ganga'.
After the Ganges expedition, the team plans to visit all the seven continents of the world concluding with an expedition to Antarctica.
Dream Wanderlust coordinator Nilanjan Patra recently spoke to one of the member of 'Access Water' project, Krushanna Patil to know more about it. Speaking from Kanpur where the team is recently rafting, Krushanna told Nilanjan that how it is pathetic to see that in Kanpur alone 500 million litres of sewage flows into Ganges regularly, polluting one of the most scared rivers in the world, lifeline to millions. The tragedy is, this not the problem of India or one nation alone but a global issue. Mississippi shares a same fate in the US, in Norway glaciers are melting and likewise in the Himalayas. It is this global issue that team 'Access Water' wishes to address. They also want to include as many children and youth as possible in their campaign as they are the future progenitors of the world.
So many of them!
Haze and fog filters the sun before reaching camp
The boat anchor lazes on the warm sand beach!
With the farmers that caught us!!
Photo Courtesy: Krushnaa Patil
