12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow - Earth Science India

National Conference on Science of Climate Change and Earth’s Sustainability: Issues and Challenges ‘A Scientist-People Partnership’
12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow
The perennial rivers had all-through been the main lifeline. However, with the climate
change resulting in diminishing snow and glaciers in the source areas, the melt water
discharge in the Himalayan rivers has been decreasing year after year. Coupled with
this, is the environmental degradation in the upper catchment resulting in ever
increasing sediment load being eroded off and ‘dumped’ in the river channels as they
enter into the plains. The two factors have adversely affected the ‘health’ of majority of
the rivers. The sand bar/channel ratio has increased by almost 30% in the last 50 years
in a part of Ganga river. Ghaghra river between the foot hills and Faizabad city is today
almost 78% filled with sand bars. This has resulted in the rivers gradually diminishing
in their prominence.
Not only the major Himalayan rivers, but also the depleting ground water scenario
has resulted in smaller ground water fed rivers gradually ‘dying out’. Gomti river which
has it’s origin in the vicinity of Madho Tanda in Pilibhit district provides water to 15
major townships in Uttar Pradesh in addition to providing irrigational facilities to large
agricultural stretches, before merging into Ganga river at Saidpur in Jaunpur district.
Today Gomti river is literally a ‘sluggish’ river with literally ‘no’ continuous flowing
water in the lean period in its upper almost 25 kms stretch. Even in the low reaches for
eg. at Lucknow, the flow is abysmal during summer months. Even worse is the case of
Sai river which originating in the vicinity of Pihani village, Hardoi district of U.P. is
almost dry with no continuous flow during lean period in a majority of it’s upper
reaches. If not taken care of, these ‘dying’ rivers of Ganga basin may soon be the ‘dead
river systems’ in not too far a future.
An attempt has here been made to revive the ‘dying’ Gomti and Sai rivers of U.P.
High resolution satellite data coupled with extensive field surveys have enabled
proposing preliminary remedial measures.
Mighty Sarda river flowing north of Madho Tanda has enormous perennial
discharge and the excessive discharge during monsoon time over- spills the banks and
causes flood havoc. The water from Sarda river is today diverted through canals into the
Sarda Sagar reservoir, which is then used for canal irrigation in major parts of U P. This
Sarda Sagar today is being used to half its original proposed capacity and the remaining
half of reservoir bed is encroached upon by local dwellers. Villages and semi permanent
structures have come up on this encroached reservoir bed.
It is proposed that the ‘excess’ water in Sarda river during monsoon times may be
diverted into the Sarda Sagar to fill it to the original proposed capacity or even up-to it’s
augmented capacity through raising of it’s embankments. However the displaced
inhabitants of the area would have been re-located at some other suitable place. This
additional stored water in Sarda Sagar could meaningfully be utilized for augmenting
the discharge in Gomti river during lean period. The existing Sarda canal (Hardoi
Banch) or an additional canal could be used to conduit this water from Sarda Sagar into
Gomti river in the vicinity of Haripur Fulhar /Rampur Fakire villages, where the lateral
distance between the canal and river channel is hardly 23 m., and the river cuts even
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