Among the36 most polluted Rivers of the country, at least four out of 11 Rivers inTripura have been placed in the list as most polluted.
Dr. Rajendra Singh who is known as the waterman of India seeks immediate river rejuvenation programme in the state and urged the government to undertake a mission for the revival of the rivers to increase the water flow and prevent unintended human activities for checking pollution.
Attendinga two-day national workshop on river and water management for sustainable developmentin Tripura University, Singh interacted with a large number of academicians,activists and students for drawing a comprehensive action plan for river rejuvenation.
Singh statedthat Tripura gets an annual rainfall of around 2200 mm and the distribution ofrainfall is also spread over the year which is uncommon in many parts of thecountry. He said that the healths of the rivers are not satisfactory because ofabsence of proper management plan. During monsoon, the water level raises butwhen there is no rain the water level goes down and it is seen that the Riversare mostly filled with dirt which cause serious impact on the local environment.
He furtherinformed that River Howrah flowing through Agartala to Bangladesh, Manu Riverflowing across Dhalai and North Tripura districts of Bangladesh, Burima Riverpassing through Sepahijala district and Gomati River to Meghna of Bangladeshhas been identified as the most polluted rivers in Tripura and are on the vergeof death.
Singhalso reiterated that the government must stop encroachment of river banks,prevent the people from dumping waste in the river to control pollution and torestrain over-extraction of river water.
