Rejuvenation of River

                                

It’s a serious business to be handled with utmost care & in responsible manner.                               Restraint is a key word.

Meer construction of series of bandharas and nalla deepening & widening does not lead to Rejuvenation of River(ROR). ROR is a broader concept. It requires following:

·         Watershed Development Works done in an integrated manner based on aquifer studies with particular emphasis on Soil Conservation.

·         Drainage treatment on 2^nd & 3^rd order nallas in recharge zone to improve ground water recharge

·         Aforestation & increase in vegetative cover in the watershed to improve soil conservation & increase opportunity time of ground  water recharge.

·          Nallas & rivers flowing  in meandering manner which reduces velocity of water & again increase opportunity time of ground water recharge. (Therefore, straightening of nalla / river is a wrong concept & needs to be abandoned).

·          Strengthening & stabilization of nalla & river banks

·          Environmental flow in rivers to maintain ecology of river

Though all above measures are no doubt most necessary, they are not sufficient. ROR would be achieved in truest sense of the term if Ground Water Regulation  & Demand Side Management is done in letter & spirit.

·         Ground Water Regulation means implementation of Ground Water Laws (for example, Maharashtra Ground Water (Development & Management) Act, 2009) which provide for restrictions on depth of wells & bores and consequently, on extraction of water.

·         Demand Side Management means cultivation of crops that requires less water & improvement in efficiency of water use on farm by adopting more efficient cultivation & irrigation methods.

 All above measures together help achieve Rejuvenation of River. If this basic requirement is not fulfilled & only nalla deepening is done & that too in an indiscriminate manner using earth moving machinery, then it would be a standing invitation to ecological disaster because aquifer itself would get exposed & eventually may even get chocked up by the direct entry of muddy water into it.

Secondly, ground water follows certain hydraulic gradient & slowly flows towards nalla. That hydraulic gradient would become steeper due to excessive nalla deepening & hence, would lead to very fast drying up of wells in the upper reaches of the watershed.

·       ROR, thus, is a serious business to be handled with utmost care & in responsible manner. Its success, in addition to above measures, depends on dynamics of agro climatic situation and availability & use of water in river basins & sub basins.

Jalyukt Shivar Yojna - a flagship scheme of the government - to say the least, unfortunately, has trivialized ROR i.e. Rejuvenation of River. If allowed to continue unchecked & uncontrolled, an ecological disaster is in offing. Restraint is the key word!