Dying rivers: Siltation destroys Jagalia river ecosystem, food source of endangered Ganges River dolphins, and triggers agrarian crisis in catchment area

A special feature on the occasion of the World Water Day

For Kiran Kalita of Urput, a village along the catchment area of Jagalia river in Assam’s Kamrup district, the image of the river as a fishing hub is fading fast. Falling water depth and declining fish population have imprinted a new image of Jagalia as a shrinking and dying river.

“Until ten years ago fish captured from Jagalia by fisherfolk of riparian villages used to be transported in bullock cart. But now fishing activities have drastically declined due to falling fish population,” narrates 73-year-old retired school teacher and an environmental activist.

Depleting fish population and changing water flow regime have also added to conservation threats to endangered Ganges River dolphins of the Kulsi river, a southern tributary of the Brahmaputra. Jagalia is one of the flow sources of the Kulsi river and its fish stock is an important food source for river dolphins.

“Fish diversity of Jagalia in long past was abundantly dominated by small and large growing groups of fresh water species. Since it is basically a stream at its origin stream water species are also available in its course. Presently, all such fish population face severe depletion baring hole dwelling hibernating species. Since the river meets Kulsi, a prime habitat of river dolphin, it was also one of the sources of fish stock in river Kulsi, which served as a major food source of the animal. Now it is a serious concern as Jagalia is in the verge of death" explains Prof.Dr.M.M Goswami, a limnologist.

Besides indigenous cat fish species like Barali, Aari and other indigenous freshwater species like Sol (Snakehead murrel), Rou, Jagaila is also famous to be an abode of variety small fish species including ornamental species. Khargeshawr Neog (54), another teacher of the village lamented that the local residents having fish as part of their daily meals has reduced to memories now.

Depletion of fish population has adversely affected the fisherfolk of nearby Gargara village who are dependent on it for their livelihood.

Prof Goswami explains that the stream lacks the characteristics of other rivers as it is not wide and as the meandering river runs through farm fields, silt carried by rain water deposits easily which affects the river depth and water flow.

Kalita claims that the river has become shallow by nine feet over the past 100 years. He alleged that degradation of the hills along Assam-Meghalaya boundary where the river originates due to indiscriminate stone quarrying have also added to the siltation load in the river. “The silt carried by the river from degraded hills gets deposited along the flat terrain of the river and that is how the depth is receding fast,” he adds.

The river has become swallow in most parts and some parts of has become water pools. The river traverses nearly 30 km through Rani area, about from its origin while the Batha river, another tributary of the Kulsi river meets with Jagalia and both the rivers finally outfall into the Kulsi river. “I observed dolphin population at the confluence of Batha and Jagalia about 50 years ago,” says Kalita remembering the days when Jagalia had fascinating ecosystem.

The shrinking river has also brought miseries to farmers of the riparian villages of Jagalia who are dependent on rainfed paddy cultivation. Narayan Kalita (50), a local farmer of the village used to raise a temporary earthen bund on the river to divert the water flow for irrigating his Boro paddy field and demolish the bund to let the river flow along it course. Kalita has a plot of 20 bigha on which he used to grow Boro paddy by irrigating water from Jagalia. The village is about 3 km off Mirza railway station in the southern part of the district.

As the depth of the river has fallen it is not possible for Kalita and other farmers cultivating on the river catchment to draw water for irrigation. Barren paddy fields along both banks of Jagalia flowing through the village speaks volume about many farmers giving up cultivation as they are unable to irrigate their land using the water from the river and are fully dependent on rain water only. During dry season farmers could not cultivate Boro paddy due to acute scarcity of water while during monsoon over-flowing river water adversely affects their sali paddy farming.

Livestock rearing in the villages has also been affected due to shirking of Jagalia. Livestock farmers of the riparian villages say the river caters to the need of water of nearly 1000 cattle for drinking and growing fodder but low water depth during lean period has rendered this livelihood unsustainable.

Narayan Kalita and other farmers desperately want eco-restoration of the river for sustainability of farming as livelihood and prevent crop failure. Over 25,000 farmers of host of villages are dependent on this river for their livelihoods of farming, fishing and livestock rearing.

“Agriculture is the mainstay of our people. We are determined to protect the river to keep our agricultural landscape intact in years to come. People living along Jagalia have joined hands to achieve the goal,” says Kiran Kalita about community efforts to save Jagalia which has rekindled hopes for its restoration.

Kishore Talukdar

All photopgrahs were taken by Kishore Talukdar

Kishore Talukdar is an independent journalist based in Guwahati. His areas of interest include Development journalism and Environment journalism. He can be contacted at [email protected]