Amlan Home Chowdhury
The WHO in its annual report in 2000 had predicted that as Bihar was totally negligent on the front of water-ecology, the “Intake Point” of all the rivers would “shift” drastically causing severe water scarcity in the next seven years. It has come true as most of the rivers have shifted nearly three km away from their “intake points”
A state through which 14 major rivers criss-cross, Bihar now has become a water scarce zone due to the environmental imbalance caused by wanton destruction of its natural riverine ecosystem.
Till 1995, Bihar’s primary problem was abundance of water causing floods annually. Now the state has fallen so short of the elixir of life that it is even begging “paani” (water) not only from the Centre but from other neighbouring states, too, to quench the thirst of over 10 crore people.
The Bihar government has admitted the imbalance caused to the state’s riverine-ecology and has said that the imbalance is responsible for famine.
In 2000-01, the remote sensing agencies of the Central government, the CSIR and the WHO had cautioned that Bihar may turn into a severe “water scarce” pocket by 2014. And it has happened.
According to the Water Resources Department of Bihar, nearly 85 per cent of major rivers including Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Kosi and Ghagra now have moved at least 750 metres away from their “Original River Front” (ORF) in different cities of the state, including Patna, Buxar, Bhagalpur, Gaya and Munger.
The WHO in its annual report in 2000 had predicted that as Bihar was totally negligent on the front of water-ecology, the “Intake Point” of all the rivers would “shift” drastically causing severe water scarcity in the next seven years. It now has come true as most of the rivers have shifted nearly three km away from their “intake points.” The primary cause is the massive silting and weakening of the three rivers.
The spectre of famine is now looming so large that the Nitish Kumar government informed the Centre that unless water supply is increased to Bihar from different dams falling in other states, including Rihand Dam and Vansagar Dam, the state would find it very hard to quench the thirst of its people.
Bihar had urged UP and Madhya Pradesh to release water to rescue river Sone from dryness. Besides, UP was also appealed to release at least 5,000 cusecs of water from Rihand Dam to save Sone.
The latest report of the Central Ground Water Board says the subterranean level of water has sunk at least by 76 metres below in the Central part of Bihar over the last 51 years. The danger of water-famine can be fathomed from the fact that the islands and landmasses have cropped up along the course of all the major rivers and their 83 tributaries criss-crossing Bihar.
After 1952, the Bihar government never took up desilting operations to deepen the riverbeds to control floods, store water and maintain water-ecology. Instead, it raised embankments, made dams and created canals from the mother-rivers like Ganga, Sone, Kosi, Kamala Balan, Kiul Harohar, Ghagra, Baghmati, Burhi Gandak and Gandak.
The natural strength of these rivers, subsequently, got eroded drastically. In the absence of desilting, the beds of these rivers went up to spill water during monsoon to cause floods.
From the angle of ecology, the capacity of rivers in Bihar to store rainwater has declined drastically and they are currently fighting virtually for survival due to shortage of water. The WHO’s report says by 2015-16, the rivers would dry up so alarmingly that the state would surrender to the condition of water-famine.
As the origin of most of the rivers in Bihar happen to be outside the state, the chances of famine further looms large unless the state government initiates steps to correct the ecological imbalance.
Factfile
Reasons for Water Scarcity
Integrated water management and watershed development yet to be implemented all over Bihar
High dependence on groundwater (85 per cent)
Over-extraction of groundwater for irrigation
Uncontrolled deforestation
Absence of rainwater for harvesting
Shrinkage and disappearance of wetland ecology
Seasonal availability of surface water declining by 43 per cent for the state of Bihar as a whole
