Madhya Pradesh Congress Media Department President Mukesh Nayak raised concerns over the deteriorating condition of the Narmada River, calling it a severe environmental crisis. Addressing a press conference, he stated that the river, often regarded as the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, is facing ecological imbalance and degradation from Amarkantak to the Gulf of Khambhat.
According to experts, the water level of the Narmada is falling, its quality is deteriorating, and it is becoming unfit for human consumption. Nayak pointed out that illegal sand mining and human activities have disrupted the river’s ecosystem, altering its natural flow.
Referring to a recent Lok Sabha debate, Nayak highlighted that BJP MP Darshan Singh Choudhary has also raised serious concerns regarding illegal sand mining, water quality, erosion, and the river’s flow. He remarked that while the opposition had been raising these issues for a long time, now even members of the ruling party are questioning the impact of illegal mining in the Narmada Valley.
He further emphasized that geologists have warned about the Narmada region’s high vulnerability to seismic activities, stretching 1,200 kilometers from Amarkantak to the Gulf of Khambhat. If underground disturbances occur, it could lead to a massive humanitarian disaster.
Nayak also stated that 25 tributaries of the Narmada, including the Hiran, Betwa, Ken, Kaith, and Kopra rivers, have dried up, causing severe disruption to the river’s ecosystem.