Green Party campaigner Debojyoti Das attended a Kingston University Art and Design students’ exhibition highlighting the need to protect the Hogsmill River.
Commenting on the exhibition, Debojyoti said
“I applaud the talent of these local students who, like me, care deeply about protecting our rivers for everyone to enjoy,” and added “I totally support their call for local people and communities to become River Guardians for this precious and rare chalk stream and to grant personhood to the river”
“We can all help protect our rivers by being vigilant – if you see that a river is being polluted, report it to the Environment Agency’s hotline” (on 0800 807060).
But what is ‘personhood’ and why does it matter?
Debojyoti, who in his day job is Dr of Social Anthropology, tries to answer this important question.
Not only is the Hogsmill an extremely rare chalk stream (only 200 chalk streams exist worldwide), it is one of the most historically significant rivers in South-West London, famously appearing in John Everett Millais’ painting “Ophelia” (1852), painted along its banks.
Granting personhood to a river is part of a growing global legal and environmental movement that seeks to redefine humanity’s relationship with nature. Personhood for rivers draws on Indigenous legal traditions (e.g. Māori in New Zealand with the Whanganui River), where rivers are seen as kin, not commodities.
For the Hogsmill River, it would mean legally recognising it as a living entity with rights; not just a resource to be managed. Personhood status could:
- Strengthen legal protection against pollution, over-extraction, and development encroachment.
- Allow guardians or legal representatives to act in the river’s interest in court, (similar to how minors are represented).
- Empower local communities and environmental groups to take action if the river is harmed.
- Protect a rare and fragile ecosystem.
Finally, this is not a pipe dream; this is already happening in England. Lewis District Council have voted to recognise the legal rights of the River Ouse. Why couldn’t Royal Borough of Kingston do the same for the Hogsmill?