SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Feb 10: An 18-month-long research, conducted by IIT ISM researchers, revealed that transboundary river basins across the world are shrinking as their tributaries and streams are disappearing at an unprecedented rate, which changes their catchment area and leading to unpredictable climate change, floods, droughts, pandemic, disaster and disruption of valuable ecosystem services.
The researcher’s team consisted of Prof Anshumal, department of environment and engineering of the institution.
Prof Rajni Singh, the dean of media and branding of IIT ISM, said the research also suggests the delineation of administrative boundaries of transboundary rivers to ensure the protection of their natural boundaries.
“The transboundary river basins also lead to adversities like groundwater depletion, soil erosion, desertification and surface run-offs,” said the research report.
The research was conducted with the help of project assistants, Rahul Kumar Pandey and Rahul Kumar Gupta. Sanchit Kumar, a senior research fellow (SRF), has highlighted the need for the delineation of administrative boundaries of rivers along small watersheds as it plays a vital role in interlinking Ecological and Geological Entities that are crucial for ensuring the continuous and pollution-free flow of rivers.
The IIT ISM research team conducted the study on 53.08 km Banki River, a tributary of the Ganga, and found a decline in vegetation, water bodies and barren land of the river from 1991 to 2001.
“The Banki watershed showed a significant decrease in the drainage density indicating spacing between streams of different orders between 1977 to 2021,” said Prof Anshumali and added that extreme morphometric changes led to the categorization of Banki into a critically endangered category.
The study also highlights the need for the classification of such rivers into appropriate threatened categories.
“The problem is not confined to any particular continent or country but almost every region is affected as approximately 40% of people in the world live in the transboundary lake and river basins shared between two or more countries that cover almost 50% of global land surface and 60% of global water flow,” elaborated Prof Anshumali.
Citing some examples, he said, “The countries situated along transboundary rivers like the Amazon, Nile, Mississippi, Yellow, Yangtze, Yenisei, Brahmaputra-Ganga, Indus and other are facing unprecedented land use and land cover (LULC) changes in their catchment areas causing unprecedented climate, urban and rural flash floods, drought, groundwater depletion.”
