As the work of ‘Harmu River rejuvenation and conservation work’ is under progress in Ranchi, experts said that the wall being raised on both sides of the riverbed may pose a threat to the river in future as it will limit expansion of the water body on its sides.
“The river appears to be a bit narrower after the boundary was put on both sides of it. Instead of making it narrower, it should have been widened to give more space for the flow of water in it as was done in case of Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad,” said Environmentalist Nitish Priyadarshi.
“Moreover, natural source of water might also get blocked from coming into the river naturally as no inlet has been left for the natural flow of water into the river,” he said. “If they were so keen in raising the boundary on both the sides, they would have done it on regular intervals leaving some space in between, paving way for the natural water into the river,” said the environmentalist.
As the water in the river is coming naturally from the soil, Priyadarshi stressed on cleaning the source of the river as blocking the source will only lead to less flow of water into the river. “As the source is blocked, water will get desiccated leading the river to get dried up in future,” he said.
Officials, who have been given the responsibility to carry out the project, denying the claims made by environmentalist, said that boundary was being given on both the sides only to give more strength to the river banks.
“As all precautions are being taken to save the river, boulders on both the sides are being put to strengthen it further so that it does not get steep down,” said Jharkhand Urban Development Corporation (JUDCO) GM Umesh Mehta. Mehta also claimed that more than 25 per cent of the work of the project has been completed.
Paving way for giving a facelift to the Harmu River, considered to be the lifeline of Ranchi, foundation stone for ‘Harmu River rejuvenation and conservation work’ was laid by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on March 14 last year.
Beautification work, according to Mehta, was to be carried out on both sides of 10.4 km stretch of Harmu river located in the State capital involving Rs87 crore already allocated by the State government for the purpose. The conservation and beautification work to be carried out by a Mumbai-based agency within a period of 30 months, he said.
To check the problem of open defecation alongside the river, there is also a plan to construct as many as 31 community toilets on some of the vulnerable spots also putting dustbins throughout the river stretch ensuring an effective waste management system. Besides that, hundreds of trees will also be planted alongside the river bed enhancing the beauty of the river with proper landscaping.
The riverbeds will also have a 2.5 meter pathway to be constructed on both sides of the river facilitating the commoners to stroll on it. M/S Eagle Infra India limited has been assigned the job with a target of completing the project within 30 months, he said.