Pollution is the the big threat.
by
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi
nitish.priyadarshi@gmail.com
Physiography :
The spatial extent of Jharkhand State is approximately 21°
55’ to 25° 35’ North Latitude and 83° 20’ to 88° 02’ East Longitude. The state
is land locked and it shares its boundary with Orissa on the southeast,
Chattisgarh on the southwest, Bihar on the north, West
Bengal on the east and Uttar Pradesh on the northwest. It
comprises of the Chotanagpur Plateau, which forms a part of Deccan
bio-geographic province. It is a hilly undulating plateau characterized by
predominantly tropical forests and tribal settlements. The State is endowed
with natural resources that need to be conserved and utilized in a sustainable
manner for all-round development of the state in general and the marginalized
tribal population in particular. The total geographical area of the State is
79.70 lakh hectares, out of which 23.22 lakh hectares (29.33%) are under
forests; 5.66 lakh hectares (7.12%) are barren lands; 7.24 lakh hectares
(9.10%) are put to non-agricultural use; 0.90 lakh hectares (1.15%) are under
pastures & other grazing lands; 3.07 lakh hectares (3.86%) are cultivable
wastelands; 0.88 lakh hectares (1.11%) are under miscellaneous trees and
groves; 12.04 lakh hectares (15.14%) are current fallows; 8.45 lakh hectares
(10.63%) are under other fallows; and 17.95 lakh hectares (22.58%) are the net
sown area. The number of electrified villages is 14667 (45.0 per cent of the
total villages). 26.0 per cent (8484) per cent of the total villages are
connected by roads.
The lengths of the National Highways and the State Highways
are 1006 and 4662 kms respectively. The state has different relief because of
its physiography as it consists of four series of plateaus of having different
heights. The highest plateau lies in the west known as Western or Higher Ranchi
Plateau or locally known as the Pat region located at 2500 to 3600 feet above
sea level covering northern part of the old Ranchi district and the southern edge of the
old Palamu district. The term Pat represents a feature similar to a table with
steep edges around and a flat top. It is full of dissected hills having a hill
station, Netarhat, at the top. The second plateau is known as Ranchi Plateau
having a height of 2000 feet composed of gneisses and granites. It is separated
by the Damodar trough from the Hazaribagh Plateau. The next plateau is Lower
Chotanagpur Plateau consisting mainly of gneisses and granite and partly of
schists and other Dharwar rocks. Page 4 of 28 The other plateaus are the Rajmahal
Hills and the Kaimur Plateau. These plateaus are separated by the narrow and
steep slopes known as scarps. It is believed that before the Chotanagpur
Peneplain was successfully uplifted thrice by the side effect of the three
violent Himalayan movements in Tertiary times continued till Pleistocene times
resulting in well-known waterfalls like Hundru, Jonha, etc. on the scarps. The
first upliftment took place during the Eocene to Oligocene period creating Pat
region, the second one during Miocene forming the Ranchi and Hazaribagh Plateau and the third
one during Pliocene and Pleistocene period uplifting the outer Chotanagpur
Plateau. All plateaus are the parts of the same plain successively uplifted
during Tertiary and Pliestocene times.
Marvelous eye catching rare geological/geomorphological
features like rejuvenated meandering and deep cutting young rivers like Damodar
are the uniqueness in the State. It is rate because of combination of senility
with the character of young rivers. The state has the luxuriant forests and
lush green rolling seasonal meadows. Magnificent undulating hills and valleys
are the special attraction. The golden river ‘Swarnarekha’ adds melody in the
pristine environment along the course. A combination of table-top flat lands
and the peneplain with dome shaped exfoliating hillocks resembling like
inverted Nagara (drum) are spread over the state. Further, the Tors or the
balanced diamond shaped rocks are also present wonderful nature of the state.
Climate, temperature and Rainfall:
The state falls under the Tropical Monsoon climatic region.
The Tropic of Cancer cuts across the state passing through the middle of the Ranchi City.
The average temperature of the state is 25° C, which varies greatly because of
varying heights of different plateaus mentioned above. The average temperature
of the Pat region is below 23° C while rest of the state records average annual
temperature between 23 and 26° C except the eastern part of Santhal Pargana
region, East Singhbhum, Garhwa, Palamu and the northern part of Chatra
districts where it is above 26° C. There are extremities in climate in the
state in two seasons- summer and winter. The hottest areas are found towards
the north western part of the state (Daltonganj), around Jamshedpur and Dhanbad cities having more
than 40° C temperatures. Similarly, the state gets affected by the cold waves
with less than 5° C temperature and reeling cold. The average annual rainfall
in the state is 1400 mm with more than 4/5th rainfall between June to
September. It also gets rainfall from the branch of monsoon from the Arabian Sea. There are also variations in rainfall
varying from below 1200 mm to 1800 mm. There are five climatic regions in the
state. One, North Eastern and North Central Plateau Region (Western part of
Santhal Pargana region, Giridih, Kodarma and Northern Hazaribagh); two, Upper
Chotanagpur region (Pat region, Ranchi Plateau, Gumla and the plateau region of
outer Chotanagpur spread in Simdega); three, South Eastern Region (East
Singhbhum, Saraikela and West Singhbhum); four , Eastern Region (Sahibganj,
Pakur, eastern Deoghar, eastern Jamtara and north eastern part of Saraikela);
and five, North Western Lower Plateau Region (Garhwa and Palamu).
River Basins of Jharkhand:
S.N.
|
NAME
OF RIVER BASIN/ SUB-RIVER
BASIN
|
1
|
Subernarekha River
Basin
|
2
|
Kharkai River
Sub- Basin
|
3
|
South Koel
River Basin
|
4
|
Barakar River
Sub-Basin
|
5
|
Damodar River
Basin
|
6
|
Sankh River
Basin
|
7
|
North Koel
River basin
|
8
|
Punpun River
Basin
|
9
|
Sone(Stem)-
Kanhar and Kao-Gangi
River Composite
Basin
|
10
|
Mayurakshi River
Basin
|
11
|
Ajay River
Basin
|
12
|
Ganga Stem Basin |
13
|
Gumani
and Koa- Bhena basin
|
14
|
Belsai Chandan
Chir River
basin
|
15
|
Harohar River
Basin
|
Govt. of
Jharkhand
|
Water Resources
Department
|
River Basin wise
Ongoing Major & Medium Schemes
|
Sl.
|
Name of
the Projects
|
Ultimate
Irrigation Potential (in th. ha.)
|
District
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
(A)
Ongoing Major Irrigation Project.
|
|
|
SUBARNAREKHA RIVER
BASIN
|
1
|
Subernarekha
Multipurpose Project.
|
265.000
|
East
Singhbhum,
West Singhbhum,
Saraikela - Kharsawan
|
|
(i)
Chandil Dam, Main
Canal & its
Distributaries
|
|
(ii)
Icha Dam, Main Canal & Distributaries
|
|
(iii) Galudih Barrage & Right Main
Canal
|
|
(iv)
Kharkai Barrage, Main Canal & Distributaries
|
AJAY RIVER
BASIN
|
|
2
|
Ajay
Barrage Project
|
40.150
|
Deoghar/Jamtara
|
3
|
Punasi
Res. Project
|
24.290
|
Deoghar
|
GUMANI
AND KOA - BHENA
BASIN
|
4
|
Gumani
Barrage Project
|
16.190
|
Sahebganj/Pakur
|
NORTH KOEL
RIVER BASIN
|
5
|
Amanat
Barrage Project
|
25.000
|
Palamu
|
6
|
North Koel Res. Project
|
19.740
|
Palamu
|
DAMODAR RIVER
BASIN
|
Deoghar/Jamtara
|
7
|
Konar
Res. Project
|
62.790
|
Giridih
|
GANGA STEM
BASIN
|
8
|
Bateshwar Sthan
Pump Canal Project
|
8.600
|
Godda
|
|
Sub-Total
|
461.760
|
|
|
(B)
Ongoing Medium Irrigation Project
|
|
|
SOUTH KOEL
RIVER BASIN
|
|
1
|
Dhansinghtoli
Res. Project
|
2.990
|
Gumla
|
2
|
Katri
Res. Project
|
5.060
|
Gumla
|
3
|
Kans Res. Scheme
|
2.480
|
Ranchi
|
4
|
Sukari
Reservoir Scheme
|
0.440
|
Lohardaga
|
5
|
Latratu
Reservoir
|
9.900
|
Ranchi
|
6
|
Tapkara
Reservoir
|
1.860
|
Gumla/
Simdega
|
7
|
Kanti
Reservoir Scheme
|
4.370
|
Ranchi
|
8
|
Satpotka
Res. Scheme
|
2.360
|
West Singhbhum
|
SUBARNAREKHA RIVER
BASIN
|
|
9
|
Surangi
Res. Project
|
2.601
|
Ranchi
|
10
|
Tajna
Reservoir Scheme
|
5.670
|
Khunti
|
KHARKAI RIVER
SUB-BASIN
|
Chatra
|
11
|
Sonua
Res.Project
|
8.008
|
West Singhbhum
|
12
|
Suru
Res. Project
|
4.440
|
Saraikela-Kharsawan
|
13
|
Nakti
Res. Project
|
2.250
|
West Singhbhum
|
14
|
Jharjhara
Res. Project
|
4.860
|
West Singhbhum
|
DAMODAR RIVER
BASIN
|
|
15
|
Garhi
Res. Project
|
|
Chatra
|
16
|
Bhairwa
Res. Project
|
4.800
|
Hazaribagh
|
BARAKAR RIVER
SUB-BASIN
|
|
17
|
Salaiya
Res. Scheme
|
2.670
|
Hazaribagh
|
18
|
Panchkhero
Res. Project
|
3.085
|
Hazaribagh/
Koderma
|
19
|
Kesho
Res. Project
|
3.560
|
|
PUNPUN RIVER
BASIN
|
20
|
Batane
Res. Project
|
1.660
|
Palamu
|
MAYURAKCHI RIVER
BASIN
|
21
|
Torai
Res. Scheme
|
8.000
|
Godda
|
SANKH RIVER
BASIN
|
22
|
Upper
Sankh Res. Project
|
7.070
|
Gumla
|
23
|
Ramrekha
Res. Project
|
4.390
|
Gumla/
Simdega
|
24
|
Kansjore
Res.Project
|
6.260
|
Gumla
|
|
Sub-Total
|
98.78
|
|
|
GRAND
TOTAL
|
560.54
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inter Basin
Transfer of Water from South Koel Basin
to Subernarekha Basin
It has been proposed to transfer additional and unused 1281
MCM of water available at Manoharpur Block of South
Koel Basin
into Subernarekha
Basin through Tajna river
to Chandil Dam via Kharkai river. The second identified site for transfer of
water from South Koel
Basin has been proposed through Tajna River
at d/s of Murmu site located at Latitude 22028’ and Longitude 85028’ into
Kharkai river via river Sanjay. The proposed location of water transfer sites
in South Koel basin is lying at Latitude
22035’ and Longitude 85015’
Inter Basin Transfer of Water from Damodar – Barakar river Basin to Subernarekha Basin.
The additional unused surplus water from Barakar river
through river through the proposed Balpahari Dam, which currently being
investigated by CWC at the instance of DVC unassessed available water of 4.0
Lakh Acre ft( 493.4 MCM) lying under Jharkhand share in Damodar Basin has been
proposed to transfer into Subernarekha Basin by establishing proposed link
connecting Balpahari site of barakar river near Tundi to Subernarekha river at
Muri & also connecting Damodar river near Bermo.
Inter Basin
Transfer of water from Sankh Basin to South
Koel Basin.
It has been proposed to transfer around 403 MCM of water
available from the proposed hydel Power sites in Sankh
Basin to South Koel Basin near Gumla. The water may in turn
may be collected in the main stream of South Koel river at the site located at
Latitude 22035’ and Longitude 85015’. This water may also be transferred
through the same inter river links as proposed for South
Koel Basin
water into Subernarekha
Basin.
Major Rivers Flowing in
Jharkhand:
The North
Karo River:
The North
Karo River drains
the Indian state ofJharkhand. It originates on the Ranchi
Plateau. It forms a 17-metre (56 ft) high scarp falls,
Pheruaghaugh, at the southern margin of the Ranchi plateau. It drains the
Gumla, Ranchi and West Singhbhum districts. It joins the South Koel near Serengda. The meandering valley of
the Karo river, downstream from Pheruaghaugh falls is a typical example of an
incised meander.
The South Karo River :
The south Karo river flows through
Sundergarh and Keonjhar districts and West
Singhbhum in the Indian states of
Odisha and Jharkhand respectively. The river flows through
industrial and iron ore mining areas and Saranda forest before
joining the South Koel River
in Goilkera block of West Singhbhum district.
As a result of its passage through the industrial and mining area the river
water gets polluted.
The Barakar River
:
The Barakar River is the prime tributary of Damodar River.
It is also the only tributary of Damodar. The river begins near Padma in
Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, flows for 225 km across the northern part of
the Chota Nagpur plateau, mostly in a west to east direction, and finally joins
the Damodar near Dishergarh in Bardhaman district of West Bengal. It has a
catchment area of around 6159 km². The Barakar River
flows in the boundary of the northern portion of Parashanth Hill at an
elevation of 1350 m/4470 ft. The highest hill in the region is located in
Giridih district of Jharkhand and a centre of Jain pilgrimage.
The Sankh River:
The Sankh
River flows
across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha states
inIndia. The river flows for 240 kilometres (150 mi) before it meets
the Koel River in Odisha.
The river starts 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea
level in Lupungpat village in Gumla district in Jharkhand and flows 67.5
kilometres (41.9 mi) in the state before entering Chhattisgarh.
The North
Koel River:
The North Koel rises on the Ranchi plateau and enters Palamau
division, below Netarhat near Rud. After flowing nearly due west for about
32 kilometres (20 mi), it turns north at an almost complete right angle
through a gorge at Kutku, and flows through the centre of the district until it
falls into the Son a few miles north-west of Haidarnagar. The principal tributaries are
the Auranga and the Amanat, both of which join it from the east,
the former at Kechki, 16 kilometres (10 mi) south and the latter 8
kilometres (5 mi) north of Daltonganj.
The Damodar River:
Chandwa, Latehar in Jharkhand are recognized as
the sources of Damodar
River. Barakar, Konar,
Bokaro, Haharo, Jamunia, Ghari, Guaia, Khadia and Bhera are the different
tributaries and sub tributaries of Damodar
River. Out of these set
of tributaries, the Barakar is considered to be the biggest tributary of the
Damodar. The Damodar
River banks are known to
be rich in mineral resources. Thus, it could be exploited by
industrialists. As a result, a number of coal-oriented industries came up over
the Damodar basin. Most of them are government-owned coke oven plants, coal
washeries, iron and steel plants, glass, zinc, cement plants and thermal
power plants. Contamination thus commenced due to excessive and defective
excavation, outmoded processing activities, oil, fly ash, poisonous metals
and coal dust. The problem was aggravated due to improper management, an
ineffective state pollution control board, which did not take adequate
pollution check measures. Damodar and its tributaries were the only source of
drinking water for the people in the vicinity. These people were gradually
affected by the contaminated water.
Several dams have been constructed in the valley,
for the generation of hydroelectric power. The valley is called
“the Ruhr of India”. Damodar Valley Corporation, popularly known as
DVC, came into being on July 7, 1948, by an Act of the Constituent Assembly of
India (Act No. XIV of 1948) as the first multipurpose river valley project
of independent India. It
is modeled on the Tennessee Valley Authority of the United States.
The Subarnarekha River:
After originating near piska nagri, near Ranchi,
the capital of Jharkhand, the
Subarnarekha traverses a long distance through Ranchi Seraikela Kharsawan and East Singhbhum districts in the state. Thereafter, it flows for shorter
distances through Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal for 83 kilometres (52 mi)
and Balasore district of Odisha. There, it flows for 79 kilometres
(49 mi) and joins the Bay of Bengal near Talsari.
The total length of the river is 395 kilometres (245 mi).
The basin of the Subarnarekha is smaller than most
multi-state river basins in India.
The rain-fed river covers a drainage area of 18,951 square kilometres
(7,317 sq mi). The prominent tributaries of the Subarnarekha
are Kharkai, Roro, Kanchi, Harmu Nadi, Damra, Karru, Chinguru, Karakari,
Gurma, Garra, Singaduba, Kodia, Dulunga and Khaijori.The Kharkai meets the
Subarnarekha at Sonari (Domuhani), a neighborhood of Jamshedpur.
The Subarnarekha passes through areas with extensive mining
of copper and uranium ores. As a result of the unplanned mining activities, the
river is polluted. The Subarnarekha has been the lifeline of tribal communities
inhabiting the Chhotanagpur region and water pollution affects their
livelihood.
Pollution in Jharkhand Rivers:
The large scale mining operations going on in the region
have adversely affected groundwater table in many areas with the result that
yield of water from the wells of adjoining villages has drastically reduced.
Further, effluents discharged from mine sites have seriously polluted the
streams and under groundwater of the area. Acid mine drainage, liquid effluents
from coal handling plants, colliery workshops and mine sites and suspended
solids from coal washeries have caused serious water pollution in the region,
adversely affecting fish and aquatic life.
Damodar and Subernrekha river valley are the cradle of
industrialization in Chotanagpur plateau region. Damodar is the most polluted
amongst Indian rivers and ironically almost all polluting industries are
government owned. About 130 million litre of industrial effluents and 65
million litre of untreated domestic water finds way to Damodar drainage system
every day. A study of the area showed that one coal washery alone was
discharging about 45 tonnes of fine coal into the Damodar every day and there are
as many as eleven coal washeries in the region with an installed capacity of
20.52 million tones annually.
Today the picture of Damodar or Damuda, considered a sacred
river by the local tribals, is quite like a sewage canal shrunken and filled
with filth and rubbish, emanating obnoxious odors. Other major rivers of the
region are also seriously polluted. The Karo river in the West
Singhbhum is polluted with red oxide from the iron ore mines of
Noamundi, Gua and Chiria. The Subernrekha shows a different type of pollution
which is even more hazardous in nature. Metallic and dissolved toxic wastes
from TISCO, Jamshedpur and HCL Ghatsila and
radioactive wastes from the uranium mill and tailings ponds of the uranium
corporation of India
limited at Jaduguda flow into Subernrekha and its tributaries.
The release of different toxic metals like arsenic, mercury,
chromium, nickel etc. from the coals and mine spoil heaps in Damodar and its
tributaries have caused severe damage to water quality. Continuous dewatering
by underground mines also affects water resources. These mines annually pump
out millions of litres to drain mine galleries and release it into nearby water
courses. This has caused flooding, silting, water logging and pollution in the
mining areas of Jharkhand. They have also reduced the surrounding water table,
and also reduced the available groundwater.
Damodar
River:
Damodar
River filled with
coal dust and mine waste.
Fine coal dust deposited on the bed of Damodar River.
Dust pollution on Damodar River.
River Damodar is a rain fed torrential river.Nearly 70% of the
river course is in the valley. The river catchment is characterised by a
prolonged dry season followed by turbulent monsoon with the annual run off,
11,385 million m3 of water. The brief monsoon spell lasts just three months
that contributes 90% of the total
precipitation.
Poor land management, denuded catchment, with favourable
contour, high intensity of down pour and unrestrained industrial discharges are all
together fast stressing the river, both physically and hydrobiologically.
Today the picture of Damodar or Damuda, considered a sacred
river by the local tribals,in Jharkhand State of India is quite like a sewage
canal shrunken and filled with filth and rubbish, emanating obnoxious odours.
It is also contaminated with toxic metals like arsenic, mercury, flouride, and
lead. The excessively high rate of sedimentation is fast reducing the carrying
capacity of the river. The disposition of fly ash has further deteriorated the
condition.
The Damodar river basin is a repository of approximately 46%
of the Indian coal reserves. A high demographic and industrial expansion has
taken place in last three decades in the region. Exploitation of coal by
underground and open cast mining has lead to a great environmental threat in
this area. Besides mining, coal based industries like coal washeries, coke oven
plants, coal fired thermal power plants, steel plants and other related
industries in the region also greatly impart towards degradation of the
environmental quality vis-a-vis human health.
It is a small rainfed river (541 km long) originating from
the Khamerpet hill (1068 m), near the trijunction of Palamau, Ranchi, and Hazaribag districts of Jharkhand.
It flows through the cities Ramgarh, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur,
Bardwan and Howrah before ultimately joining the
lower Ganga (Hooghly estuary) at Shayampur, 55 Km downstram of Howrah. The river is fed
by a number of tributaries at different reaches, the principal ones being
Jamunia, Bokaro, Konar, Safi,
Bhera, Nalkari and Barakar. The total catchment area of the basin is about
23,170 km2; of this, three-fourths of the basin lies in Jharkhand
and one-fourth in West Bengal. The major part
of the rainfall (82%) occurs during the monsoon season with a few sporadic
rains in winter. Damodar basin is an important coal bearing area and at least
seven coal fields are located in this region. High increase in the population i.e. from 5.0 million (1951)
to 14.6 million (1991) has been observed during the last four decades which is
the outcome of the heavy industrialization in this basin mainly in coal sector.
Due to easy availability of coal and prime coking coal,
several thermal power plants, steel plants have grown up. Discharge of
uncontrolled and untreated industrial wastewater, often containing highly toxic
metals is the major source of pollution of Damodar River.
Mine water and runoff through overburden material of open
cast mines also contribute towards pollution of nearby water resources of the
area. Huge amount of overburden materials has been dumped on the bank of the
river and its tributaries, which finally get spread in the rivers especially in
the rainy season. These activities have resulted in the visible deterioration
of the quality of the river water.
The large scale mining operations going on this region have
also adversely affected ground water table in many areas with the result that
yield of water from the wells of adjoining villages has drastically reduced.
Further, effluents discharged from the mine sites have also seriously polluted
the underground waters of the area.
Mine waters does not have acid mine drainage problem. It may
be due to the fact that coal deposits of this basin are associated with minor
amounts of pyrites and contain low sulfur. Iron content in these waters are
found in the range of 1 to 6 mg/l. Though it is not alarming but it may be
toxic to some aquatic species. Mine waters are generally bacterially
contaminated which is clear from the value lying in the range of 100 to 2500.
Heavy metals like manganese, chromium, lead, arsenic,
mercury, floride, cadmium, and copper are also found in the sediments and water
of Damodar River
and its tributaries like Safi, Nalkari, Bhera Rivers
etc. Permian coal of this
area contains all these toxic elements in considerable amount. Presence of lead
is high above the alarming level i.e. 300 ppm (parts per million) in the coals
of North Karanpura coal field.
The study warned that long term exposure to the lead present
in that area might result in general weakness, anorexia, dyspepsia, metallic taste
in the mouth, headache, drowsiness, high blood pressure and anaemia etc.
The Damodar sediments are deficient in calcium and magnesium
and rich in potassium concentration. Titanium and iron are the dominant heavy
metals followed by manganese, zinc, copper, chromium, lead, arsenic, and
mercury. Other heavy metal like strontium shows more or less uniform
concentration throughout the basin. Average concentration of strontium in the
sediments of the river is 130 ppm. Silica is also high in the sediments of Damodar River and its tributary. The value is
28ppm. Arsenic in the water ranges from 0.001 to 0.006 mg/l, mercury ranges
from 0.0002 to 0.0004 mg/l, floride ranges from 1 to 3 mg/l.
The total toxic load that the coal mines water contributes
to the river has been computed to be 16-20 tons/day and 0.05-0.60 tons per day
of heavy metals. The average composition of heavy metals (mg/l) in mine water
as registered were
:
Cu-0.23 to 0.72, Mn-0.25 to l.12, Fe-0.38 to 1.16, Ni-0.10 to
0.23, Zn-6.30 to7.41, Co-O.08 to 0.12.Pb-0.97 to 1.19,Cd-0.41 to 0.56 and Cr-0.16
to 0.19.
The huge quantum of washery effluent brings severe
ecological changes in the river water, specially during the lean period. It
imparts brownish black colour to the river water and then transparency comes down below 10 mm due to
high concentration of coal dust present in the effluxion. The ecology of the stretch
between Rajarappa and Panchet reservoir of the Damodar river is under serious
threat due to the influx of the washery effluents.
The Sindri fertilizer plant adds considerable toxic load to
the river through its 21,000 Kl/d discharge with 788.0 mg/l suspended solids and 290 mg/l
ammonia nitrogen.
The seven thermal power plants in
the Damodar valley (three of which, with a combined installed capacity of about
1,800 mw, belong to the DVC) consume between 3,000 and 8,000 tonnes of coal a
day and as much as 50 per cent of the total solids generated is in the form of
flyash. Yet, there is little effort to manage the waste. This is obvious from
the fact that very few DVC units, which are better managed than those run by
the state electricity boards, have electrostatic precipitators (ESPS). Of the
six units of the DVC's Chandrapura Thermal Power Plant in Giridih district,
only one has an ESP, while the others make do with old mechanical dust
collectors. As these plants are located on the banks of the river, the flyash
eventually finds its way into the water.
Disposal of solid waste, or bottom ash, from boilers degrades the river even
more. The bottom ash is supposed to be mixed with water to form slurry which is
then drained into ash ponds. Most of the ponds are full and in several cases
drainage pipes are choked. The slurry is discharged into the river.
The people who live in the vicinity
of the Damodar are the worst affected. The river and its tributaries are the largest sources of drinking water for the
huge population that lives in the valley. On April 2, 1990 about 200,000 litres
of furnace oil spilled into the Damodar river from the Bokaro Steel Plant. The
oil travelled about 150 km downstream to Durgapur
and for at least a week after the incident, the five million people in the area
drank contaminated water. The water from the river that the people drank was
unfit for human consumption, with oil levels 40-80 times higher than the
maximum permissible value of 0.03 mg/l.
It is obvious that due to extensive coal mining and vigorous
growth of industries in this area water resources have been badly contaminated.
The habitants have, however, been compromising by taking contaminated and
sometimes polluted water, as there is no alternate source of drinking water.
Thus, a sizeable populace suffers from water borne diseases. As per the health
survey of about 3 lakh population, the most common diseases are dysentery,
diarrhoea, skin infection, worm infection, jaundice, and typhoid. Dysentery and
skin infections occur in high percentage in the area. If proper steps are not
taken up the total population mostly tribals will be on the verge of extinction.
Subarnarekha River:
Polluted Subarnarekha
River in Ranchi city.
The river has been increasingly polluted over the last few
decades due to increasing mining activity, industrialization, urbanisation and
deforestation in the upper and middle reaches of the river basin. Between
Jadugoda and Baharagora(and further downstream), the river is contaminated with
radioactive materials due to the mining and processing of the uranium.
The arc-shaped Singhbhum copper belt is a major source of
river pollution. There are four industrial areas (Ranchi-Hatia, Muri.
Adityapur-Tatanagar, Jadugoda-Ghatsila) which contribute maximum pollution
load of the river. The daily organic pollution load generated in the
Subarnarekha basin stands at 264 tons from rural and urban sources. Out of 117
tons of total BOD load two-thirds are generated from Ranchi and Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand.
Industrial units also throw COD load, suspended solids, oil
and grease, phenol, fluoride and nitrates to the river. The Upper segment from
Hatia dam to Baharagora is polluted by uncontrolled discharge of untreated or
semi-treated domestic waste effluents. Runoff from agricultural lands
transports 450 tons of nitrogen. 120 tons each of phosphorus and potassium
along with small quantity of organ chlorine pesticides to the river annually.
Translated literally, Subarnarekha means 'streak of gold'.
With a drainage area of 1.93 million ha this smallest of India's major inter-state river
basins is a mute host to effluents from various uranium mining and processing
units. While most rivers in the country are classified -- depending on the
pollution load -- on a 'best designated use’ basis, the Subarnarekha defies any
classification, as the existing parameters do not include radioactivity.
The rain-fed Subarnarekha originates 15 kms south of Ranchi
on the Chhotanagpur plateau draining the states of Jharkhand, Orissa and West
Bengal before entering the Bay of Bengal. The
total length of the river is 450 kms and its important tributaries include the
Raru, Kanchi, Karkari, Kharkai, Harmu Nadi, Singaduba, Kodia, Garra and Sankh rivers.
The only streaks visible in the river are those of domestic, industrial or -
incredibly - radioactive pollution. Subarnarekha's rich resource base has
spelled doom for the basin. Between Mayurbhanj and Singhbhum districts, on the
right banks of the Subarnarekha, are the country’s richest copper deposits. The
proliferation of unplanned and unregulated mining and mineral processing
industries has led to a devastating environmental degradation of the region.
Improper mining practices have led to uncontrolled dumping of overburden (rock
and soil extracted while mining) and mine tailings. During monsoons, this
exposed earth flows into the river, increasing suspended solid and heavy metal
load in the water, silting the dams and reservoirs.
Quarrying of construction material, such as granite, basalt, quartzite, dolerite,
sandstone, limestone, dolomite, gravel, and even sand, has created vast
stretches of wasteland in the river basin. Used and abandoned mines and
quarries are a source of mineral wastewater and suspended solids.
Subarnarekha also has to bear radioactive waste that enters the river through
seepage from tailing ponds of the Uranium Corporation of India at Jadugoda. It has three
productive uranium mines, all within a 5 km radius: Jadugoda, Batin and
Narwapahar.
The uranium ore is mined from underground and brought to the surface. Uranium
is then extracted and processed to make 'yellow cake', an ingredient used to
fuel nuclear plants. What is left behind are 'tailings' or effluents comprising
radioactive products, which are mixed into slurry and pumped into tailing
ponds. These ponds, each covering about 160 ha of land and about 30 metres deep
are situated between adjoining villages.
The water pollution in Subarnarekha River
is due to:
1. Industrial waste water
2. Municipal sewage
3. Domestic sewage and waste water
4. Agricultural waste and waste water
5. Some other occasional and seasonal factors like
Cremation, statues immersion, human excreta and urine, animal excreta etc.
The examination of quality of water at different sites of
the river, indicate that the industrial waste and waste waters containing
hazardous chemicals are causing major pollution.
According to the analysis of river water in Jamshedpur done in Department of Chemistry, Karim City
College, parameters are:
PH - 5.60 to 7.0
Alkalinity - 60.0 to 140.0 mg/l
Total hardness - 49.5 t0 131.4 mg/l
Cyanides - 0.67 to 1.80 mg/l
Phenols - 4.0 to 8.2 mg/l
Iron content - 3.22 to 3.42 mg/l
Mercury content - Up to 0.02 mg/l
Chromium (VI) - Up to 1.03 mg/l
The river water at some point is highly acidic. Hence, the
economic value of the water for drinking and washing purposes is lost. Also,
aquatic life would not survive in this highly acidic water. The cyanide content
is very high. Free cyanide (as CN or HCN) is toxic. It interacts with ferric
haem moiety of cytochrome oxidase and blocks respiration.
Iron content is also very high. As far as it is known, human
beings suffer no harmful effect from drinking water rich in iron content but it
is unsuitable for processing food, beverages, laundry operations etc. If this
water will be used for boiler, then it will lead to a pronounced blocking of
the pipes together with rusting of the iron pipes. The boiler may get chocked
due to the presence of iron as red mud. The high concentration of Cr (VI) has
following hazardous effects.
1. It affects the biochemical reactions of lower as well as
higher plants.
2. It causes skin disorder and liver damage.
3. It is oncogenic (carcinogenic).
The chromium concentration in urine provides information
about the current exposure to water soluble chromium (VI) and about the body
burden of chromium. Mercury content is also high. Methyl mercury is highly
toxic. It causes irreversible nerve and brain damage. Methyl mercury poisoning
also leads to segregation of chromosomes, chromosome breakage in cells and
inhibited cell division.
No standards have been met in their construction and no
measures taken to control the emissions. Overflow and seepage from the tailing
ponds ultimately ends into the streams that feed Subarnarekha. These radiations
pose the greatest threat to human health, as they harm living cells, often
leading to genetic mutation, cancer and slow death.
Subarnarekha is the lifeline of tribal communities inhabiting the Chhotanagpur
belt. Once these communities made a living out of the river's gold and fish.
But today the polluted Subarnarekha has little to offer. Between 5,000-6,000
families of local tribals, including the fishing community of Dharas, residing
on the riverbanks from Mango in Jamshedpur
to Bharagora, have been affected by the river’s pollution.
Oil and slug deposits on the riverbed deter the growth of moss and fungi, vital
food for fish, hindering the movement of Hilsa fish from the Bay
of Bengal to Ghatsila. Even sweet water fish like sol die in large
numbers during their breeding season. Reports reveal that villages in the
region around Ghatsila such as Kalikapara, Royam, Jadugoda, Aminagar, Benasol
and Baraghat are suffering from skin diseases. The male fertility rate has also
declined. Unfortunately, people have not been active in protecting the river as
yet, when they could do well and take an example from other social movements in
other river basins.
The basin also houses the Subarnarekha multipurpose project
that has Jharkhand’s Chandil & Icha dams as well as the two barrages and
three small storage reservoirs in Odisha, apart from a wide network of canals.
The area is faced with grave environmental and displacement-related issues due
to the project. The protests against the project culminated with the
demonstration of a group of over 10,000 tribals armed with bows and arrows,
leading to police firing and four deaths on January 6, 1979.
Despite the protests and alleged corruption (as per CAG
report of 1999), the project took off after 40 years of delay. The project
received a major shot in the arm when it became a part of the Centre's
Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Project. It received the clearance of Ministry
of Forest, Environment and Climate Change (MoEF) but the promise of jobs and
electricity to the locals was held up.
The overall study reveals moderately serious contamination
of the river with sediments of metals, predominantly in some locations under
the anthropogenic influences like mining and industries.
The Nalkari
River:
The Nalkari, a tributary of the Damodar river that flows
through the eastern states of Jharkhand and West Bengal,
may easily be mistaken for a nallah or waste water canal. Around 7 kilometre
from Patratu in Jharkhand, the Nalkari carries huge quantities of oil and ash,
discharged by the Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS).
The PTPS, established in the sixties in collaboration with Russia, has a total installed
capacity of 840 megawatt (MW), spread over 10 units. While six of its units of
50-100MW each were supplied by Czech firm Skoda, the remaining 4 units of 110MW
each were provided by the public sector company, BHEL. Patratu town, located 40
kilometre from state capital Ranchi,
was developed to house employees of the power station.
However, of its 10 units, only one or two units are working today, generating
merely 10-15 per cent of the plant’s total capacity. The remaining units are
either closed or non-operational. Since the functional units are based on
outdated technology, the power plant has failed to control pollution, whether
in air, water or on land.
“The Patratu dam was built to store the fresh water of the Nalkari river, so
that the PTPS can run. Nobody had ever thought that the same plant would kill
the river one day. All the effluents and ash from the plant are being thrown in
the river, which is not only poisoning the Nalkari but also, the Damodar river,
which it meets downstream.
This plant is also at the centre of a dispute between the
plant managers and the local community. Landowners from more than 23 villages
had given their land when the plant was set up. Apart from PTPS, land in
Patratu had already been acquired by Bihar Alloy Steel (BASAL), National
Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Damodar Valley Cooperation (DVC),
Railway and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL). The small portion of land left to
sustain people’s livelihoods, was again taken by the plant in 1990 for
construction of the new ash pond.
Kharkai
River:
The
Kharkai River
is a river in eastern
India.
It is one of the major tributaries of the
Subarnarekha River.
It flows through Adityapur region of
Jamshedpur
It arises in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, on the north slopes of Darbarmela
Parbat and the western slopes of Tungru Pahar, of the Simlipal Massif. It flows
past Rairangpur and heads north to about Saraikela and then east, entering the
Subarnarekha in northwestern
Jamshedpur.
The Kharkai is derived from the Sanskrit word “Kharkaya”
meaning "fast flowing river".
It is one of the major tributaries of the Subarnarekha River.
After entering Jharkhand its tributaries include the Torlo and Lli Gara on the
left. Its last major tributary is the Sanjay, entering from the left, 17 km as
the river flows above its mouth. There is a steel plant at Jamshedpur and many industries in Adityapur
Industrial Area. The river gets polluted throughout its journey.
Garbage from Adityapur has found a new address — the banks of
Kharkai, which is one of the major tributaries of Singhbhum’s lifeline
Subernarekha.
Two truckloads of domestic waste, equivalent to 400 cubic feet,
are being emptied on the waterfront every day, turning the erstwhile oasis into
an eyesore and olfactory challenge.
There was a time when the Kharkai banks were popular for a
morning walk because of the fresh air we could breathe in. These days, we are
even scared to venture on the road near the river because the ambience is so
unhygienic.
Severe pollution has reduced the river Kharkai into a
'dumping drain' of toxic refuse, threatening number of people living on its
banks with serious health hazards and a loss of their livelihoods. That the river is dying is
clearly evident from its stench. The highly toxic waters release a 'gas' that
starts irritating the nostrils and throat as soon as humans breathe it. Its foul odors can be smelled from as far
away as half a several meters. "Sometimes we are unable to sit in our
house due to the unbearable stench from the river water," said a people
live at the Kharkai river bank. Soon after the floodwater receded and the river
wore its lean period look, the pollution instantly increased due to a lack of dispersion. Several hundred industries, topped with a huge
volume of untreated sewage from the city, now remain almost stagnant within the
river water. The situation is set to continue until a new flow of water rushes in from the
upstream, beginning in perhaps another two months. In the meantime, people
living along the river are the worst victims of the pollution, which they say is worse than anything
they've seen in previous years.
Kharkai water of
Adityapur is polluted by industrial effluents, domestic and sewerage dirt, oil
and lube spillage and sediment. Maximum industries excrete toxic substances to water. The people who are living By the Kharkai which is
polluted by various germs and micro-organisms are severely suffering from
various diseases like cholera, diarrhea, dysentery etc, often. In the dry season
The DO level becomes very low and the river becomes very toxic.
HOW TO PROTECT RIVERS FROM
POLLUTION?
Presently there is only 1% water which is drinkable on our
planet where as our planet is covered with water by 70%, which is salt water
and not usable for human. Very soon we all are going to face complex and urgent
water problems and the only way to create a healthier future is for everyone to
do their part to save rivers from pollution. Presently everyone forget the
important of rivers and we just doing exploitation of rivers. No one bother
about the pollution which we are creating in all rivers water either they are
big rivers or small one. Presently the fast rate of water pollution is adding
to the scare, be it the rivers or the groundwater which going to put a gap
between demand and supply drinkable water. Recently a study was done on the
sate of rivers in the country and which shows polluted rivers in the country
has risen from earlier 121 to 275. The condition of rivers is alarming
situation for country and unchecked flow of sewage, industrial and mining
wastes being one of the main reasons of pollution.
Now this is a big challenge for government and need of
society to get clean these rivers because the level of drinking water going
down day by day. Believe it, we get a situation very soon when we all start to
fight for drinking water or its resources. We all can take example from many
areas from India
where a big part of population facing the situation of drought.
The most ancient source of water, even before the human race
came into being, was the rivers. The river systems have sustained civilizations
after civilizations since time immemorial. But these systems are facing grave
threat at present than ever before.
The fact of the matter is that the journey of these rivers
flowing since ages is being somewhere stopped. Intense pressure of growing
populations, industrialization and mind-boggling planned and unplanned
development is seriously showing in terms of both quality and quantity of water
the rivers provide. Another serious fall-out of pressure on the river basin
systems is the over-use of groundwater resource. The demand and supply gap has
been widening day by day. As a result both the sources are currently in danger.
The solution lies in protecting the rivers and harnessing the available water
resources optimally.
We all can help to prevent water pollution and we are all
responsible for that so that we all forward a healthy life to future
generation. We have to generate the awareness or educate all common
people about the threat we are facing with the rivers because many people don’t
realized the bad impact on environment through the pollution we are generating
in rivers. May be when people understand how much pollution is leaking into our
waterways and what it means for mankind. We all can help to keep water
clean through many things we can do and
prevent water pollution of nearby rivers and
lakes as well as groundwater and drinking water.
1. Prevention of pollution by interception and decentralised
treatment of wastewater entering rivers and lakes.
2. Management of solid waste around the water bodies and
catchment areas.
3. Enhancement of waterfront and catchment areas, such as
storm water management, institution of buffer zones and silt traps.
4. Cleaning of water through low cost methods such as
de-silting and cultivation of appropriate species for bioremediation.
5. Prevention of pollution by communities living along
waterfront, such as through awareness and provision of sanitation.
6. Mobilization of local communities to participate in
concerted effort.
7. Planning of waterfront development to improve
environmental and economic sustainability.
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