Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
RIVERS, ARTERIES OF OUR PLANET
NIRMAL AND AVIRAL
Rivers were always seen as living entities in our country. This
perception was not just an outcome of cultural influences, but was
supported by sound scientific understanding. It is just that our culture
has been oral and dialectic in nature and therefore the reasoning and
the science of it was lost over time as a number of invasions riddled the
country. Today, based on modern scientific studies and a more holistic
understanding of rivers and their ecosystems, the Government of India
has recognized the following as a holistic definition of a river:
A river is wholesome if it has the characteristic of “aviral dhara”
(continuous flow), “nirmal dhara” (unpolluted flow), geologic entity, and
ecological entity, across the basin in all seasons. 7
Nirmal dhara means unpolluted flow. This requires tightening of
the pollution control norms and a coordination between the different
departments in charge of the waterways and pollution. Aviral Dhara,
meaning an unhindered and unfettered minimum flow, is to ensure that
the river flows continuously. This must be so, for the river flows for the
entire stretch of its length – from its origin until it meets another river or
the ocean. While the discussion on flow of rivers looks at their drying in
the plain or in the fertile zones, we miss the repercussions of their drying
up in the coastal regions. When the rivers dry up upstream and do not
reach the ocean, the coastal area aquifers slowly start to dry up. This leads
to salinity intrusion of the freshwater aquifers. Hence, aviral dhara is most
important.
This understanding has dawned upon us as a nation after we have
exploited our rivers to a very dangerous extent. Our rivers reflect a high
degree of disturbance from their pristine state. Dams have been built
extensively to create reservoirs for irrigation and hydropower, and
barrages built for water diversion. Human settlements, deforestation and
mining have degraded river catchments and increased sediment load in
rivers. Industrial and agro-chemical effluents, and domestic waste have
been discharged untreated into rivers. 8
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