Mumbai: It was a proud moment for world-renowned child climate activist Licypriya Kangujam, when she was recently invited to Mumbai to be a part of a special water conservation initiative. She was also honoured with ‘Water Heroes Award” by CNN News18 during the Mission Paani event on the 72nd Republic Day of India.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar who is the campaign ambassador hosted the event that aimed to raise awareness about the water crisis in India. Akshay emphasised on the need to conserve water, and also spoke about the many positives of hydrotherapy that he has personally experienced.
Licypriya was awarded as Water Heroes in recognition of her works in the global climate movement to save our planet and their future. The award was also given to Indian renowned environmentalists Sonam Wangchuk (Ladakh), Amla Ruia (UP), Laxmi Narayan Tripathy (Maharashtra), Vishwanath Srikantaiah (Karnataka), Col(Retd) Shashikant Dalvi (Maharashtra)and Garvita Gulhati (Karnataka). She is the only one from North East India.
Licypriya Kangujam, who is one of the world’s youngest environmental activists, interacted with Akshay Kumar and candidly discussed innovative solutions on water conservation, and efforts and measures that can enable better water hygiene conditions in India.
Speaking about her experience, Licypriya said, “It was a privilege to meet Akshay Sir and share my thoughts on the need for water conservation in India. Meeting so many more like-minded activists and acquiring new knowledge about ways to address climate change was nothing short of inspiring. I look forward to contributing and seeing a positive change to save the environment and our future on this planet.”
Licypriya also shared her vision about this noble mission. The child prodigy manages to strike a good balance between her academics and the causes she associates with. Her alma mater Ryan International School encourages her to pursue her mission towards a better environment, and she has received several accolades for the same. She was recently awarded the National Youth Day Award 2021 and TN Khoshoo Memorial Award 2020 in recognition of her fight against climate change. The young and dynamic environment influencer is an inspiration to millions of children across the globe.
A survey by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature has found that nearly 30 cities in India, including Jaipur, Delhi, Amritsar, Pune, Kolkata, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam are susceptible to acute water risks by 2050, according to a report in The Hindu.
According to its analysis, nearly one-third of the 100 cities in the world which are susceptible to ‘water risk’ – which range from droughts to floods – are in India. Other factors that were used to evaluate a city’s risk included aridity, availability of freshwater, the impact of climate change, the presence of regulatory laws governing water use, and conflict.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Road Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Water Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani, Union Youth Minister Kiren Rijiju, AR Rahman, Mallika Sarabhai, Prasoon Joshi, Sadhguru, HH Chidanand Swami, Rajkumar Rao, Mandira Bedi, Neha Dhupia, Dia Mirza, Gul Panag, Bhumi Pednekar, Vishwanathan Anand and Smriti Mandhana also addressed in the event.
