ROLE OF RIVERS IN ECONOMY AND RIVER POLLUTION

ROLE OF RIVERS IN ECONOMY AND RIVER POLLUTION

Role of rivers in economy

Rivers have been of fundamental importance throughout the human history. Water from rivers is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities. Therefore, riverbanks have attracted settlers from ancient times. These settlements have now become big cities. Make a list of cities in your state which are located on the bank of a river.

Using rivers for irrigation, navigation, hydro-power generation is of special significance — particularly to a country like India, where agriculture is the major source of livelihood of the majority of its population.

River pollution

The growing domestic, municipal, industrial and agricultural demand for water from rivers naturally affects the quality of water. As a result, more and more water is being drained out of the rivers reducing their volume. On the other hand, a heavy load of untreated sewage and industrial effluents are emptied into the rivers. This affects not only the quality of water but also the self-cleansing capacity of the river. For example, given the adequate streamflow, the Ganga water is able to dilute and assimilate pollution loads within 20 km of large cities. But the increasing urbanisation and industrialisation do not allow it to happen and the pollution level of many rivers has been rising. Concern over rising pollution in our rivers led to the launching of various action plans to clean the rivers. Have you heard about such action plans? How does our health get affected by polluted river water? Think about “life of human beings without fresh water”. Arrange a debate on this topic in the class.

More to know

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK