Sahil Mahajan
Tawi River of Jammu and Kashmir has great religious and historical importance attached to it. River Tawi is also known as River Suryaputari i.e Daughter of Sun God.
Through the city of Jammu, the Tawi River flows along the left bank of the Chenab River. It is in fact, one of the major tributaries of the River Indus and one of the important rivers & lakes of Jammu and Kashmir.
It originates in the Himalayas, below Seoj Dhar peak at Kali Kund, near Bhaderwah, in Doda district. The total catchment area of the River Tawi is more than two thousand and one hundred square Kilometers. The total stretch of the river adds up to 141 Kilometers and it falls within the following districts: Jammu, Doda, Udhampur
The Tawi River is the main river, which flows through Jammu city and has its name attached to the inception of the city. Although the Tawi enhances the beauty of Jammu, the river itself has been polluted by ill usage. The main concern now is to clean up the river and give back to it its original crystal clear look.
On March 08, 2011, Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet approved the Artificial Lake project on Tawi river in Jammu. The cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah approved the design and construction of auto-mechanically operated Gated Barrage having an approximate length of 370 meters and height 4 meters with sluice gates across the river with Reinforcement Cement Concrete (RCC) base for creation of poundage at Belicharana area of Jammu city.
A view of proposed lake
This is an initiative from the Govt to boost the tourists attraction and beauty of proposed lake.
At the present the work is going on the said project but the authorities fail to prevent the river from being polluted through different means, especially the nallas, liquid disposals, dumping polythene bags waste, chemical wastages from nearby service centers etc. Thus causing the water pollution which affects plants and organisms living in it.
The Tawi river was famous for Trout Fish but with passage of time they have got extinct and the quality of water has been so much degraded that it is not suitable for bathing. In earlier days, the river was the sole source of potable water supply to the town. In the rainy seasons, the water took sometime to settle. The tiny particles used to settle down before the water was used for drinking. Now-a-days there are very few people, who could think of taking a dip in once holy and sacred Jammu Tawi. All the sewage and storm water of Jammu city pours into the river directly without treating the sewage etc.
Areas of concerns
Most of the garbage is dumped into the river between the upstream town of Nagrota and the Bhagwati Nagar area of Jammu city. Along with municipal waste (garbage) and sewage, one would also spot dead animals dumped on the riverbed.
JMC is collecting garbage from various parts of the city and is dumps dozens of garbage trucks in Tawi at Bhagwati Nagar area in the city and polluting the river.
Nagrota is a major upcoming township that is discharging all its effluents into the river, affecting water quality as well as aquatic life. Huge discharge then comes in Jammu city from drains between Panjtirthi and Bhagwati Nagar. Besides drains, organic and inorganic effluents from agricultural fields also flow into the Tawi till it meets the Chenab. Flowing water has a natural process of cleansing from oxygen mixing in it and action of bacteria on organic matter. However, this is not working in the Tawi in this particular stretch, as the total flow of water has decreased over the years, resulting in higher concentration of pollutants.
Source of drinking water
As much as 26 mgd (million gallons per day) water is pumped from the Tawi to cater to the needs of drinking water in Jammu. This is done at Sitlee (20mgd), Dhountli (4mgd) and Boria (2mgd) water treatment plants. Sitlee and Dhountli are located before the river enters Jammu, while Boria is located in the old city area, where the river enters Jammu. While most drains flow into the river after these points, there is atleast one that is right next to the Sitlee Plant.
Initiatives: – There have been directives from the High Court that disposal of any waste into the river be avoided, yet the Jammu Municipal Corporation dumps garbage along its banks.
The concerned authorities in Jammu are least bothered about the rising level of pollution in the river Tawi.
In a bid to preserve River Suryaputari famous as Tawi, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has instructed the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and other agencies to control rising pollution in the river.
The water pollution adversely changes the quality and disturbs the balance of ecosystem. In order to keep the Tawi clean, it is the best time to start work like the Yamuna action plan with the help of National River Conservation Project by taking up pollution abatement work.
* Use of harmful insecticides and fertilizers be reduced.
* Proper channelization for sewerage treatment plan to improve the quality of discharge.
* Imposing ban on polythene carry bags as they are contributing to the pollution of the river and other water bodies.
* The general public has to be made aware of the need to keep the river clean
* Waste water from the city has to be treated before being released into the river.
* Catchment areas of the river need afforestation to avoid soil erosion.
* Not allow colonies to come up on the banks.
By recycling garbage and not littering, you can help prevent against trash ending up in waterways. You can also join a group that cleans up litter left by others. Whether you’re doing major litter cleanup by installing a litter trap in a river, or just collecting piece of garbage from a ditch, you can make major difference.
If chemicals are being dumped directly into a waterway, contact the company responsible for the mess. If they’re not helping, contact a representative. If nothing is being done, get loud: contact the local newspaper, blog about it, and get your local news station involved.
(The author is a Geology student Jammu, University)
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