Deforestation, erosion affecting Narmada: Study

Bhopal, May 9: Denuded forests along the Narmada's banks and erosion are affecting the holy river's water flow while chemical fertiliser, effluents and sewage pollute the water.

These facts emerged during social worker and BJP leader Anil Madhav Dave's four-day aerial 'Narmada Parikrama' in the context of catchment area-related problems. The endeavour got underway on March 27 and Mr Dave filed a report on his journey that concluded after covering roughly 2,056 km.

''Jungle areas, in catchment zones, have depleted in 19 districts of this state and several lakh tonnes of fertile soil enter the river annually. Flow has declined at Manot, Jamtara, Bamnighat, Sandia, Hoshangabad, Handia, Mortakka, Mandelhwar, Rajghat and Gurudeshwar,'' he told reporters here yesterday.

Average water inflow has declined from 1,100,970 million cubic tonnes -- in 1990-94 -- to 650,000 million cubic tonnes.

''Biodiversity is being affected and if the state of affairs goes unchecked vis-avis chemical fertiliser, Narmada's water will not be potable in future,'' Mr Dave added.

All the sewage from the cantonment town Jabalpur is dumped into the river and a Rani Durgavati University team analysed samples to discover that the pollution rate was rapid.

''The Central Water Commission and Indian Standards Organisation also confirmed pollution. Forests thinned out in Badwani, Jhabua, Dewas and several other districts. A people's awakening movement ought to be started. An attempt will be made to bring together all political parties on a common platform for this endeavour,'' he added.

Many of the Narmada's 19 tributaries in Madhya Pradesh have dried up.

UNI