Question

Essay on Dying rivers of Jharkhand in more than 2000 words

Answer 1

Living Rivers, Dying Rivers, as the title suggests, deals with the condition of rivers in India. They are the life giving force to the people of this vast country. Rivers concerns all and every reader will find something of interest in the book. The book also takes into account the condition of the tributaries of the rivers. They are no less important for the ecology and sustenance of the living creatures. Rivers have also been worshipped by those who still depend on agriculture for their livelihood. But the irony lies in the fact that it is their governments that have done the maximum damage to the rivers. Although some consciousness about the environment has arisen among the public, most of the rivers in India are in a deplorable state.

The book is a collection of papers which were presented in a seminar. It also includes contributions of academics and scholars from various disciplines.Through a mix of data, images and simple examples the essays help us understand the alarming state of the rivers in our country. Using different approaches, all the writers try to point out the terrible transformation that has come over the rivers in the recent years. Even the rivers that come close to the category of the 'living' do not put the experts at ease.

Not just the rivers, but the states through which they flow have also been taken into consideration, thus making the book more appealing to the readers who might lose interest in the nitty-gritty of the scholarly discussion. The book is based on the interesting idea of 'an imaginary journey', which begins with the river of the capital, Yamuna, the largest tributary of the Ganga, with its source at the Yamunotri glacier. It then takes up river Ganga, and then proceeds to river Indus before turning eastward towards the Brahmaputra. The rivers of the northeast are then dealt with before examining the poor state of the rivers in Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The journey then leads the readers to the west coast, covering the rivers flowing through Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. The readers can choose the river of his choice and get all the information he might be looking for.

The factors and the 'diversity of ways' in which a river may be called either healthy or sick is also focused upon. Taking the cue from the image of 'living' and 'dying', many of the essays evoke the metaphor of the river as a living organism. One essay compares a river to a tree with its branches and roots. Hence, implying that unless all parts are healthy a river cannot be considered as completely healthy. Through this journey readers also get a glimpse of the ways rivers affect lives.


Keeping with the metaphor of the river as a living organism, the Yamuna is said to have been deprived of its 'lifeblood' and so are its tributaries. The Ganga, is the lifeline of crores of people. It is also worshipped and believed to possess medicinal properties. According to the World Wildlife Fund report, the Ganga is amongst the 10 most endangered rivers of the world. Jhelum is also fast degrading. Even the rivers of the northeast, which pass through urban areas, are being adversely affected by chemical waste.

The rivers are provided with a historical perspective and supplemented with relevant data. Also the book includes analyses of present-day problems, such as the diversion of waters, construction of dams, hydroelectric projects and many more. These help the readers understand the root of the problems and arrive at ways to tackle them.

A scholar makes an interesting point when he talks about the inherent flaw that lies in the idea of construction of embankments. They not only harm the rivers, but also the lives of people by restricting the entry of waters of the tributaries and flood waters into the river. Another significant point that these essays make is about the relationship of poverty with environmental degradation. For instance, the benefits of dams, whatever little, are reaped only by the people of the plains and the tribal people often have to suffer. A few of the essays in the book also deal with regulations and ways of understanding rivers and water bodies.