Narmada, river
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Contents |
Problems
Sand mining, sewage, pollution
Subodh Varma, Bulging waste-lines killing the Narmada, June 21, 2017:The Times of India
In May 2017, a team of environmentalists travelled along the Nar mada river from its origin at Amarkantak in Anuppur district of east arkantak in Anuppur district of eastern Madhya Pradesh down to Barwani district abutting Gujarat in the west.They wanted to take stock of the condition of this ancient river and its environs in the context of a high-profile campaign by the state government for Narmada conservation.
What they found was a stark and chilling reminder of how one of the most holy rivers of India is being destroyed. In the 14 districts that they travelled through, towns and cities are emptying untreated sewage in to it and industries are pumping effluents even as deforestation in the surrounding Satpura and Vindhya ranges has dried up 60 of the 101 tributaries that used to feed the Narmada. Groundwater levels have fallen to lows of as much as 300ft or more in the vicinity , garbage lies piled in towns and riverbanks are en MAKE INDIA WATER POSITIVE, SUPPORT THE CAUSE #bewaterpositive http:www.facebook.com bewaterpositive Twitter: @bewaterpositive waterpositive.timesofindia.com croached upon.
Unfettered mechanised sand mining is taking its toll throughout the nearly 1,100km length of the Narmada in MP . Several fish species, in cluding the mahaseer, are in terminal decline because of pollution and destruction of habitat.
“Even at the source, the Narmada kund, at Amarkantak, we found pipes dumping waste water into the river and people defecating on the opposite bank,“ Vinayak Parihar, a member of the team, told TOI. The trip was organised by Vichar Madhya Pradesh, a platform of small environmental and other rights groups. Almost none of the urban centres on the river's banks have sewage treatment plants (STP). Jabalpur, the biggest city on the Narmada, produces 200 million litres of sewage per day but treats only 0.55 MLD. One 50 MLD STP built near Kathauda village is non-functional.
Along the whole length, industrial units are seen discharging effluents into the river or its tributaries. In Jabalpur, a gelatin factory at Lamhaita Ghat allows effluents to drain into the river, as do six sugar mills in Narsinghpur, the Suhagpur industrial belt in Hoshangabad, and several dozen big dairies.
The state pollution control board has filed cases against 18 municipal bodies located within 10 km of Narmada river, including the Jabalpur, Hoshangabad, Mandla, Dindori and Bhedaghat civic organisations.
Also on the mat are five industrial units, including the central government-owned Security Paper Mill, which is situated in Hoshangabad.The team found that small and big tributaries along the whole course of the river were in distress. All of them used to carry water all year round till about a decade ago. Now, nearly twothirds are dry, many lost forever.
“Heavy encroachment and sand mining has destroyed the channels while deforestation of surrounding forests has dried up the sources of water,“ Parihar explained.
Despite court orders prohibiting mechanised sand mining and mining from under running water, these practices are taking place openly .
In Hoshangabad, for example, there are only 11 approved sand mining sites but the team found mining taking place at 50 sites. At the lower end of the river, as it flows through Dewas and Khandwa, most tributaries are not flowing as water has backed up from the Indra Sagar Dam.
Parihar says that glitzy programmes involving senior politicians and film stars are of little use, as is giving the river a “living entity“ status. Until the government seriously implements existing laws and involves people in this, Narmada will continue to die a thousand deaths.
Attempts to rejuvenate
See graphic.
Rejuvenation measures; ecological damage: 2017
EPIC GREENING TO SAVE THE RIVER OF MYTHS, Sep 25 2017: The Times of India
From EPIC GREENING TO SAVE THE RIVER OF MYTHS, Sep 25 2017: The Times of India
Lifeline at the heart of incredible India, the Narmada has helped Madhya Pradesh become an agricultural powerhouse. However, rampant illegal sand mining along its 1,079km stretch in MP and unchecked flow of sewage and effluents are scripting disaster for the ancient river.
To save the river of myths, the state has come up with epic initiatives. First, the Madhya Pradesh assembly passed a resolution in May to declare the river a living entity . Then on July 2, six crore saplings were planted along it across the breadth of Madhya Pradesh in a span of 12 hours.
The mammoth plantation drive is backed up by a robust after-care protocol to ensure a high survival rate, and a sewage treatment project to ensure it stays clean.
The mighty river, which originates in Amarkantak and cuts an east-west line through In partnership with the heart of India, nourishes tens of thousands of hectares of farmland, three national sanctuaries and 24 of the state's 51 districts.
Unlike glacier-fed streams of the north, the Narmada gets water from forests in its catchment area. Climate change, erratic monsoons, and slow poisoning by industrial sewage are choking its waters.
In May , a team of environmentalists travelled along the river and found towns and cit ies emptying untreated sewage into it and industries pumping effluents even as deforestation in the surrounding Satpura and Vindhya ranges dried up 60 of the 101 tributaries that used to feed the Narmada.
On July 2, saplings were planted in the 24 districts of the catchment --in schools, colleges and government office premises, on government and private land and in forest areas and farmlands.
The biggest challenge was getting these many saplings, recalls additional chief conservator of forest S P Reyal. “About 60-70% saplings were made available from within Madhya Pradesh,“ Reyal said. The forest department alone planted half of the trees, he said, adding that 90 % of them have survived.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told TOI they planned to have guardians of the saplings right down to the village level. The sites will be geomapped and saplings moni tored via satellite. “The MGNREGA workforce was roped in to look after the saplings,“ said rural development and panchayat minister Gopal Bhargawa. The government hopes the feat will be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
World record or not, the biggest success of the plantation drive was the awareness generated among the masses, feels the government. Narmada may have got a fresh lease of life.
