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

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
Principal Glacier-Fed River System of Himalayas
Major River System
Name of
River/
Tributary
Catchment Area (sq. km)
Covered By
Percentage
Glaciation
Mountains
Glaciers
Ganga Yamuna 11,655 125 1.1
Ganga 23,051 2,312 10
Ramganga 6,734 3 0.04
Kali 16,317 997 6.01
Karnali 53,354 1,543 2.9
Gandak 37,814 1,845 4.9
This section discusses the causes of of river depletion, including:
increasing population, over-exploitation of groundwater resources,
increasing rate of deforestation, and reduced rainfall. All these aspects
have adversely affected the functioning of the rivers’ catchment regions.
The catchment region of rivers, unlike popular belief, is spread all
across the stretch of the river and not only in the upper reaches near its
origin. The water that flows into the river is fed by the rains through the
catchment region and by the trees planted in the region. This again leads
to the conclusion that if we need the rivers running and thriving again,
we must endeavor to revive their catchments and floodplains all through
their course, as well as their tributaries. This is equally valid for the
catchments of the streams and tributaries that feed into the river as it is
for the main river body itself.
Catchment area treatment can happen through adoption of
engineering and non-engineering measures such as watershed
management, construction of check-dams, gully traps / silt traps, largescale
afforestation with preferable “soil binding and water holding”
native species, treatment of degraded land, etc.
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