When Itanagar managed to jump notches and shrug off the third dirtiest city tag in the country, many wondered what the administration was doing to the mounds of garbage. Well, the answer may be found with one look at the Pachin river flowing along the Jully route.

The sight is depressing! Both sides of the banks of the river is strewn with heaps of plastic and wastes. Dumping of wastes along and into rivers seems to be the choicest method of tackling this problem by authorities.

The designated dumping site at Karsingsa close to the temperamental Dikrong River is also a strange choice. Every monsoon, this river eats away at the mountain side, cutting off road network, a dump yard here is a colossal mistake.

The rampant dumping of garbage is not only polluting rivers but also causing severe public health risk. Besides it is also affecting the many villages using downstream water.

Rivers since times immemorial have been the cradle of civilization and aptly the lifeline of millions. But sadly they are struggling for survival themselves.

Close at the heels of New Zealand’s Whanganui River granted living entity status making it the only one in the world. The Uttarakhand high court on Monday declared the Ganga and Yamuna living entities, bestowing on them same legal rights as a person. The court’s order will allow complaints to be filed in the name of the two rivers, held sacred by millions of Hindus and is also being seen as a move that could help in efforts to clean the pollution-choked rivers.

 Over the years the abuse of rivers have increased astronomically with pollutants becoming more toxic and complex. The rivers in big cities are a mere shadow of their majestic past and speak a tale of sorrow and abject human insensitivity. But this problem has now infiltrated the border and reached tribal societies as well; known for their reverence and great love for natural resources— their primary bread-givers. The careless dumping of garbage and sewage in water sources around the capital is a sight which really affects anyone with a conscience. Along with indiscriminate dumping along river routes, killing of fishes using unconventional and harmful means have done colossal damage to the fragile river ecosystem which has resulted in death of other flora and fauna crucial for the health of a river in general.

Rivers apart from sustaining life are themselves living entities and must be treated with reverence.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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