The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change proposed the revival of 13 major rivers in the country, including the Himalayan, Peninsular, and one inland river Luni, as part of an ambitious project.
The project identified rivers in 24 states and two Union Territories. They will be revitalized by forestry interventions at a cost of Rs 19,343 million. Environment Minister Bhupender Yanav released detailed project reports for each river on Monday in the presence Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jal Shakti Minister).
Jhelum, Chenab and Ravi are rivers that will be forestry interventions. The National Afforestation and Eco-development Board, Ministry, and the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will fund the project.
We have considered not only the rivers but also their tributaries when developing the DPRs. Each river has many tributaries. Jhelum has 24, Chenab, 17, Rabi has 6, Brahmaputra 30 Mahanadi and Krishna have 7, respectively. We have also looked at the entire network. The project will address many other important issues, including the reverse of desertification, preservation of biodiversity, and protection of wildlife in these areas.
The total area of the basin covers 18,90,110 km2. This is 57.45% of the country’s total area. The length of the 13 rivers, including the 202 tributaries that are part of the riverscapes, is 42.830 km.
The Yamuna has received the largest outlay at Rs 3,869 crore, while Chenab has received the least at Rs 376 crore.
It was a crucial intervention and the DPRs were developed with microdetailing.
There are three main landscapes that run along the rivers, natural, agricultural, or urban. These plans were created specifically for each landscape and include specific plans for each one. Development has had an impact upon the rivers and basins. This includes the expansion of roads, construction or expansions of agriculture. The most common problems identified are reduced water flow in rivers, deforestation of the catchment area and fragile ecology. These issues have resulted in poor river health, which is reflected both in the quantity and the quality of the water. This negatively impacts agricultural productivity, livelihood security and aquatic systems. S D Sharma, former Deputy Director (Research), ICFRE, stated that all nine ICFRE agencies were involved in the development of DPRs. They were initiated in 2019.
The different models of forestry plantations include timber species and medicinal plants, shrubs, fuel fodder and fruit tree trees. They are intended to enhance water, groundwater recharge and contain erosion. All 13 DPRs propose 667 treatment or plantation models. In total, 283 treatment models have already been proposed for natural landscapes. 97 treatment models have been proposed in agriculture landscapes. 116 different treatment options are available in urban landscapes.
GIS-supported techniques have been used for the treatment of priority sites in the riverscape. This has led to site-specific solutions in terms of soil conservation and plantations.
Sharma stated that the project will have direct benefits such as an increase in cumulative forest coverage of 7,417.36 km across 13 riverscapes, sequestering 50 million tons CO2 equivalent in 10-year-old plantsations, and 74.76 millions tons CO2 equivalent in 20 year-old plantations. The 13 riverscapes proposed interventions will result in ground water recharge of 1,889.89 millions cubic meters annually and a decrease in sedimentation of 64.83,114 cubic metres.
