Mandakini River

In Context

• The Mandakini river is becoming more and more polluted every day.

About Mandakini river

• The river is also called Paisuani in Government records and Survey of India map. 
• Origin: It originates from the hills of Khillora near Pindra village, Majhagawan in district Satna (Madhya Pradesh) and travels 39km, before reaching Sati Anusuiya Ashram site. In these 35 km, it is a seasonal stream flowing only in monsoon.
  • Sati Anusuiya is a perennial reach of Mandakini River where a large number of small and big springs feed to the river
• It flows into the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh’s Karwi tehsil in Chitrakoot district.
• Significance: The river is the lifeline of Chitrakoot and the surrounding area, with almost 70 per cent of Chitrakoot residents relying on the river for drinking and household purposes.
  • Chitrakoot is famous for its association with the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Hundreds of people visit the town on the full moon, new moon and Diwali nights and bathe in the river.
• Pollution in the Mandakini: The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (Water Resources) published a list of the 22 most polluted rivers in Madhya Pradesh in February 2020. The Mandakini has been identified as one of Madhya Pradesh’s most contaminated rivers.
  • The current estimated sewage generation in the catchment of the river is about 5 million litres per day (MLD) based on population trends. 
    • It is expected that sewage generation will reach 5.5 MLD by 2030.
  •  Many tourists threw food waste, polythene bags and other garbage directly into the river.

• Government Efforts:  Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change sanctioned a project under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) for abatement and conservation of Mandakini River, Chitrakoot (M.P.). The project was sanctioned on the basis of cost-sharing of 70% & 30% by the Central & State governments respectively.

• The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh has executed a Phase -1 project of the Sewerage system of Chitrakoot town.

Source: DTE