ENVIS Madhya Pradesh Newsletter

Transcription

1 ENVIS Madhya Pradesh Newsletter Vol. 1, Issue - 5 Jan Mar 2010 Preface Water is life, in fact, life started from water. It generates energy, flourishes nature, sustains biodiversity and brings us prosperity and happiness. Our health depends on it. It is used for transport, irrigation, industries, domestic purpose, adventure sports and provides livelihoods to the people. It sustains our life. We can not live without water; we could live better, if we knew more about it. Hydrological aspects of rivers and streams are better known, but their biotic components, which maintain their water quality, are comparatively less known. The biological diversity and ecological integrity of water are closely linked with the vitality of freshwater streams embedded in the landscape. For successful spatial planning of watershed, the management of streams plays a crucial role, because streams and water bodies are down gradient of most human activities and they receive a disproportionate burden of pollution and disturbance in developed region. Unplanned canal system for irrigation has devastating effects on their water regime. Therefore, understanding the hydrology and hydrobiology of streams and rivers is required to solve the problem of water crisis. Unlike temperate region of the world, the run-off in streams and rivers of Indian sub-continent is governed by the interaction of the monsoon with the uplands and the mountains. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters like floods, droughts, cyclones and storms is directly related to continuous environmental degradation in this region. Added to that global warming is also playing a crucial role in severe weather patterns As a result the glacial melt from the mountains in the Tibetan Plateau is increasing year after year. This plays a significant role in altering the ecology of the whole Indian sub-continent. These rivers not only provide life-sustaining water, but also bring with them fertile soils from the high Tibetan Plateau to the prime agricultural regions of the downstream countries. Thus they are the lifeline of billions of people of this subcontinent. Glaciers in the Himalayas are melting much faster than anticipated which will lead to disruption in water supplies within the next 25 to 30 years. Due to continuous global warming severe weather patterns may increase floods in rainy seasons and heat wave and draught in summer. Heavily populated coastal regions, including the deltas of Ganges and other major rivers are likely to be at higher risk of increased flooding. Such calamities are going to be more widespread and may hamper rapid economic growth and urbanization. Increased disruption due to these climatic factors is likely to reduce crops thereby increasing the risk of widespread poverty, hunger and death. Such calamities may also lead to increased incidences of diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, malaria, dengue and many other life threatening illnesses. This book is aimed at to know characteristics of hydrology and biotic components of rivers and streams that are embedded in landscape of this Asian region, so that measures of use and conservation of water can be taken for its sustainable development.

2 Impact of Climate Change on Wetlands of Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh is very rich in wetlands. Its capital, Bhopal, is called a City of Lakes, because it has, the Upper Lake and Lower Lake (important Ramsar sites), Shahpura Lake, Motia Tank, Siddique Hasan Tank, Munshi Hussain Khan Tank, Sarangpani Lake, Kaliasod Lake, Laharpur Reservoir, Hataikheda Reservoir, and Char Imli Pond, right in the city or adjacent to the city area. The Bhoj Wetland consisting of two lakes (Upper & Lower lakes) are manmade reservoirs. The Upper lake was created in the 11th century by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans river and the Lower lake was constructed nearly two centuries ago immediately downstream of the Upper lake, with catchment of 361 and 9.6 km 2, respectively. Upper lake is surrounded by Van Vihar National Park on the south, human settlements on the east and north, and agriculture fields on the west whereas lower lake is surrounded by human settlements from all sides. They were designated as a Ramsar site in November The Government of Madhya Pradesh has passed resolution in 2010 to undertake the improvement measures to restore their ecological status by river basin approach. During summer many of them dry up and the inhabitants of the City face water scarcity problems. Chandapata Lake is used for tourism and potable water. The Tighra Reservoir and Ramoua Reservoir are used for potable water supply and irrigation. From 2000 to 2008, the area of some of these lakes is reduced e.g. Tighra ( to km 2 ), Tekanpur ( to km 2 ), Pehsari ( to km 2 ), Harsi ( to km 2 ) and Kaketo ( to km 2 ). The other lakes are also reduced in area, which is mainly due to climate change and drying out during summer. The Upper Lake of Bhopal was completely dried during summer of 2008 and the people voluntarily deepened the lake area which is filled up in 2009 because of good mansoon rains. The recovery of water table solved the problem of water scarcity partially. If the monsoon rains do not come in June of 2010, the lake would dry up again The other lakes of Madhya Pradesh, which are considered important sites by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt of India are Purana Talab, Damoh (5 ha), Devisagar Talab, Dhar (12 ha), Rampur Tank, Guna district (448 ha), Tawa Rervoir, Hoshangabad district (20,055 ha), Yaswant Sagar,

3 Indore (720 ha) Sangam Sagar, Jabalpur (16,705 ha), Bhadur Sagar, Jhabua (122 ha), Mandalewar Tank, Khargone district (107 ha), Parasram Talab, Narsingarh,(20ha), Barna Reservoir, Bari Raisen district (7,700 ha), Devendranagar Reservoir, Panna (247 ha), Govindgarh Talab, Rewa district (320 ha), Sagar Lake, Sagar (324 ha), Nagda Tank, Shivpuri district (349 ha), Mahendrasagar, Tikamgarh district (70 ha), Undasa Tank, Ujjain (258 ha. ). Tighra Reservoir Ramsagar Reservoir Tekanpur Lake Kaketo and Hasrsi Reservoirs Gohad Talab Dihaila Lake Kotwal and Piluwa Reserviors

4 Impacts of Climate Change Climate change impacts on inland aquatic ecosystems of Madhya Pradesh ranges from the direct effects of the rise in temperature and CO2 concentration to indirect effects through alterations in the hydrology resulting from the changes in the regional precipitation regimes. Rising temperature will lower water quality in lakes through a fall in hypolimnetic oxygen concentrations, release of phosphorus (P) from sediments, increased thermal stability, and altered mixing patterns. Climate change impacts such as more frequent and severe floods and droughts will affect the food and water security of many people. The impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture, however, is not as well known. This policy brief, a joint partnership between several agencies, highlights this issue to ensure that decision makers and climate change negotiators consider aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture at the UNFCCC COP-15 in Copenhagen, December Many fisheries -dependent communities already live a precarious and vulnerable existence because of poverty, lack of social services and essential infrastructure. The fragility of these communities is further undermined by overexploited fishery resources and degraded ecosystems. Adaptation measures are well known by managers and decision makers, but political will and action are often lacking. To build resilience to the effects of climate change and derive sustainable benefits, fisheries and aquaculture managers need to adopt and adhere to best practices such as those described in the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible fisheries. These practices need to be integrated more effectively with management of river basins and watersheds. By focusing on herbivorous species aquaculture can provide nutritious food with a low carbon footprint. Farming of prawns and mussels is not Pachamarhi Jhil only good business, but also helps clean surface waters, while culturing aquatic plants helps remove wastes from polluted waters. In contrast to the potential declines in agricultural yields in Madhya Pradesh, climate change opens new opportunities for aquaculture as increasing numbers of species, like Magur, Singhi, Mahaseer, besides the present practices of culturing the Major Carps. The culture of Prawn with herbivorous carps is the best alternative proposed by the Pawarkheda Center of Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai.

5 Release of ENVIS Madhya Pradesh Newsletter Shri Jayant Kumar Malliya, Hon ble Minister, Govt of MP, Dept of Housing & Environment, released the ENVIS-Madhya Pradesh newsletter for the month of Oct-Dec 2009 during the inauguration of the new DMI office building on 29th of March Shri Alok Shrivastava, Principal Secretary, Govt of MP, Dept of Housing & Environment (second from Left) and Executive Director, Disaster Management Institute, Bhopal (extreme right). Training Programme on MSW & PSW A two days training programme on Management of Municipal Solid Waste and Plastic Waste Management was organized during February 17-18, 2010 at Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. Ms. Maya Naroliya, Chairman, Municipal Corporation, Hoshangabad Distrcit inaugurated the programme. Dr. Rakesh Dubey, Director, DMI, Hoshangabad SDM were also present during the programme and informed us about the importance of such training programme and use of paper bags in place of polythene to avoid such wastes. Training programme was organized for the officials of Municipal Corporation. Around 40 participants attended the training Programme. Training Programme on Disaster Management A training programme on Disaster Management was organized for the trainee officials on March 31, 2010 at Bhopal. Dr. Rakesh Dubey, Director, DMI inaugurated the programme and gave the lecture on the management of disaster and briefed about the special theme on disaster i.e. confined space safety.

6 Important Rivers of Madhya Pradesh Narmada River: The Narmada River gained national prominence in the recent past when the Indian government proposed to build a dam on the river (see Amarkantak Narmada & Sone: Perennial Streams of Culture under Madhya Pradesh). The Narmada is an important river as it happens to be the most sacred of the five holy rivers of India. Earlier known as Reva and Mahakalasuta, the Narmada is also referred to as the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh. Originating in Amarkantak, the highest peak of the Vindhyan Range, it flows westward through Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat before finally ending its journey in the Gulf of Khambat, covering 1300 km distance. Sone River:- Sone is also called Maikalsut (whose source is in Maikal) as it originates from a mountain called Amarkantak in the Maikal Ranges. In ancient times, Sone was known as Shona. The Narmada also originates from Amarkantak, though it flows westward, while Sone journeys towards the east. Betwa River:- Originating in the Kumra village in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, the river Betwa flows for 380km. After meandering through Madhya Pradesh, it enters the neighbouring state, Uttar Pradesh, and joins the river Yamuna in Hamirpur. The Betwa takes along with it the water of the eastern Malwa plateau. The tributaries of Betwa are Bina, Yamini, Dhasan and Ken. In ancient times, the Betwa was known as Vetrawati. Ken River: Ken River is a tributary of Betwa River, which flows in Panna district and enters Uttar Pradesh to meet Betwa River.

7 Important Rivers of Madhya Pradesh Tapti River: Apart from the Narmada, the Tapti is the only river that flows westward and falls into the Arabian Sea, in the Gulf of Khambat, to be precise. The 724 km long Tapti is agriculturally very important as it drains an area of over 65,145sq km spread over Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. This river originates at a height of 762m in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh (to the south of the Satpura Range). The Tapti journeys almost parallel to the Narmada, though it is much shorter in length than the Narmada and has a smaller catchment area. Shipra River:- The Shipra starts its journey in the Vindhya Range from a hill called Kokri Tekdi situated at a distance of 11km from Ujjain. This river is 195km long, out of which 93km flow through Ujjain. It then touches Ratlam and Mandsaur, before joining the river Chambal. The main tributaries of Shipra are Khan and Gambhir. The Shipra has been mentioned not only in ancient Hindu texts, like the Puranas, but in Buddhist and Jain scriptures as well. These water bodies are used primarily for potable water, irrigation and also for capture fisheries and fish culture. Majority of the water bodies have been promoted for the development of fisheries. The fishermen cooperatives have rights on the fishing activities in many reservoirs. Presently the wetlands face the problems of over exploitation for fisheries & irrigation, and conversion of habitats for land use practices and pollution by pesticides through run off water from agriculture fields. They are the main resource for livelihoods of fisher-folks and rural poor.

8 What can we do: Move to environmentally friendly and fuel efficient fishing and aquaculture practices. Eliminate subsidies that promote overfishing and excess fishing capacity. Provide climate change education in schools and create greater awareness among all stakeholders. Undertake vulnerability and risk assessments at the local level. Integrate and a climate proof aquaculture with other sectors. Strengthen our knowledge of aquatic ecosystem dynamics and biogeochemical cycles in freshwater such as carbon and nitrogen cycles. Encourage sustainable environmentally friendly biofuel production from algae. Explore carbon sequestration by aquatic ecosystems. To,..... If undelivered, please return to; ENVIS MP, Disaster Management Institute Paryavaran Parisar, E-5, Arera Colony, P.B. No. 563, Bhopal Phone: , , , Fax: Website :- mp@envis.nic.in Disclaimer: The information in this newsletter has been compiled from various sources and does not necessarily depict the views of the ENVIS-MP or host Institute.