A Review on River Revival

Abstract

The noticeable decline of flow and drying of rivers in non-monsoon period is observed by smaller hydrologic units (sub-catchments and watersheds). The flow depletion or drying of rivers is generally observed initially near the origin and then progressively in the larger hydrologic units. Rivers are losing water because of variety of possible reasons, including the installation of dams and the use of water for agriculture. But in many cases the decrease in flow is because of climate change, which is altering rainfall patterns and increasing evaporation because of higher temperatures. Reduced run-off is increasing the pressure on freshwater resources in world as well as in India, especially with more demand for water as population increases. Inspite of the fact that large sums of money have been spent on river rehabilitation across the globe, the understanding of the science of restoration is incoherent. A scientific and global intervention and approach to tackle such challenges to river management in India requires a highly effective approach, which must be process-based, predictive and must be capable of yielding the desired outcome. River restoration is one of the most prominent areas of applied water-resources science, supporting a multibillion dollar industry across many countries and helping to drive fundamental river research to address knowledge gaps that limit successful restoration. A revival strategy should identify a future prospect and long run for the river basin, the desired outcome of the strategy over the planning horizon (goals), and specific, measurable targets to be achieved over the short to medium term (objectives). River restoration can be supported by a combination of policies, strategies and project-level and global-level plans. Keeping this in view this paper presents some of the revival works carried out in India as well as in abroad.