Following HC's order, expert committee sumbits report on grievances and suggestions for revival of the river
The Godavari riverbed that suffocates beneath a layer of concrete may have some hope of revival. Following directives of the Bombay High Court, a two-member committee submitted grievances to the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) with recommendations to revive the river. As per the HC order, NMC has been asked to dispose the grievances regarding the river in two months.
Activist Devang Jani had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court in 2015 demanding removal of concrete on the riverbed, rejuvenation of the old kunds, and purification of the river water. The court in its order had asked the petitioner to submit the grievances to NMC, and directed them to take action in two months.
Speaking to DNA, water conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh, who is part of the expert committee said,"The old ghats ensured that the ecological flow of the river was maintained such that there was no silting or erosion. The designing and landscaping done in the recent past is not river friendly. Now, the mud silts on the banks. Such interference has led to the river going dry at times, and flooding at other."
In the report, Dr Singh has recommended a catchment treatment. "Separate the river and the sewer, and plant trees like Peepal, Baniyan," he said.
His co-member, architect Prajakta Baste studied the ground water flow and resources of Godavari. In the report, she highlighted that, contrary to belief, there is ground water in the region. "That's what made the old kunds perennial," she said.
A survey revealed that wells in 500 m of the river bank on both sides have ample water through the year. "We found water at depths of six to seven feet below the ground. According to the hydraulic principle, water flows from upper to lower levels, towards the river bed. However the natural inlets into the river bed have been blocked. If they are opened, Godavari will receive at least 20-30 per cent more water," she states in the report.
The committee in its report has exhorted the authorities to consider old records that show that people during that time knew how to value and respect the river.
The petitioner, Jani, and the expert committee highlight the need to revive the 16 kunds, some of which were built in the 1700s by Madhavrao Peshwa's mother Gopikabai, Ahilyabai Holkar, and Trimbak Mama Pethe (the hero of Panipat). "We also need to respect and recognise the contributions of these great philanthropists, who built kunds in different periods in the most scientific manner," he said.
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