State of India’s Rivers For India Rivers Week, 2016 Author Mr. Manu Moudgil India Rivers Week - Rajasthan 2016 Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 State profile ..................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Physiographic features .................................................................................................................... 7 2. Hydrology .............................................................................................................................................. 9 3. River Inter-Linking ............................................................................................................................... 12 4. Groundwater ....................................................................................................................................... 15 5. Pollution Sources:................................................................................................................................ 17 6. Climate Change (Rajasthan State Action Plan for Climate Change) .................................................... 20 7. Suggestion ........................................................................................................................................... 23 8. Luni: The Saline One ............................................................................................................................ 23 8.1 Religious and Cultural connotations ............................................................................................. 26 8.2 Change in land use over the years ................................................................................................ 27 8.3 Biodiversity .................................................................................................................................... 28 8.4 Pollution ........................................................................................................................................ 29 8.5 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) and Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of Luni ................................ 33 9. Banas: Hope of the forest ................................................................................................................... 34 9.1 Mythology and Culture ................................................................................................................. 36 9.2 History ........................................................................................................................................... 38 9.3 Biodiversity .................................................................................................................................... 39 9.4 Change in inflow ............................................................................................................................ 40 9.5 Mining and pollution ..................................................................................................................... 40 9.6 Climate change .............................................................................................................................. 43 9.7 People’s movements ..................................................................................................................... 43 9.8 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) and Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of BAnas ............................ 48 10. West Banas .......................................................................................................................................... 49 10.1 Flora and Fauna ........................................................................................................................... 50 10.2 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) & Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of West Banas ..................... 51 11. Chambal: The cursed and the pristine ................................................................................................ 52 11.1 Geomorphology .......................................................................................................................... 55 11.2 Mythology and History ................................................................................................................ 56 11.3 Pollution and Environmental Flow .............................................................................................. 56 1 India Rivers Week - Rajasthan 2016 11.4 Biodiversity .................................................................................................................................. 58 11.5 River Inter-Liking to impact Chambal .......................................................................................... 61 11.6 Performance of dams on Chambal .............................................................................................. 64 11.7 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) and Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of Chambal ...................... 64 12. Banganga ............................................................................................................................................. 72 12.1 Mythology and Culture ............................................................................................................... 74 12.2 Biodiversity .................................................................................................................................. 75 12.3 Modern-day pressures ................................................................................................................ 75 12.4 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) and Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of Banganga .................... 76 13. Ghaggar: The lost river ........................................................................................................................ 83 13.1 Floods in Ghaggar ........................................................................................................................ 84 13.2 Biodiversity .................................................................................................................................. 85 13.3 Pollution levels ............................................................................................................................ 85 13.4 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) and Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of Ghaggar ....................... 88 14. Sabarmati: The maiden river ............................................................................................................... 91 14.1 Mythology ................................................................................................................................... 93 14.2 Biodiversity .................................................................................................................................. 93 14.3 Diversions and Erosions .............................................................................................................. 94 14.4 Pollution: ..................................................................................................................................... 96 14.5 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) & Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of Sabarmati ....................... 96 15. Mahi River ........................................................................................................................................... 97 15.1 Dams and Canals ......................................................................................................................... 99 15.2 Inter-state agreement and conflict ........................................................................................... 100 15.3 History and Cultural connection ............................................................................................... 101 15.4 Biodiversity ................................................................................................................................ 101 15.5 Pollution .................................................................................................................................... 102 15.6 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) & Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of Mahi ............................. 102 16. Sabi or Sahibi Basin ........................................................................................................................... 103 16.1 History and Culture ................................................................................................................... 104 16.2 Impact of Urbanisation and Development ................................................................................ 104 16.3 Flora and Fauna ......................................................................................................................... 105 2 India Rivers Week - Rajasthan 2016 16.4 Red (Critical), Pink (Threatened) & Blue (healthy) Status of rivers of Sahibi ............................ 106 17. River map of Rajasthan based on health risk assessment ................................................................ 110 3 India Rivers Week - Rajasthan 2016 Maps Map No 1: District Division of Rajasthan ........................................................................................................ 6 Map No 2: Surface Water Resources Map of Rajasthan ................................................................................