The riverine ecosystem of Danro or Daru which is said to be the life line of Garhwa town is on the verge of dying. Biotic component and even part time food chain is completely absent.
There is no energy flow with no underground flow available at the origin.
Ecological experts say that sand deposits have gone down significantly on the banks of River Danro due to indiscriminate and illegal sand mining at several places in the district. "Unless there is a check on the sand mining it could badly affect the river ecology.
The growing demand for sand and illegal sand mining is taking a toll on the existing sand deposits of the river. If the indiscriminate lifting of sand is continued then the existing sand deposit in Danro may last only for another three to four years,” official sources pointed out.
Only heavy inflows into the river during the next three years will help in sand accumulation on the river bed and enable it to retain water holding capacity.
Speaking to The Pioneer, a member from the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) said, “At present the estimated sand deposits have been coming under stress both from the regular as well as illegal mining, and already the sand deposits are thin and scanty at several places and given the current and future demand forecasts of construction activity and development within the district, the existing sand deposits would last not more than three to four years,” he added.
This puts the river ecology of Danro at a critical position. Because, mining down to the river bed-level as it was carried out in places situated the town around would make the river to lose its water holding capacity. And, as the inflows into the river were dismal, unless the river gets heavy floods in next three to four years, the Danro river ecology in, the district will come under serious stress, the sources added.
Conservator of Forest (CF) Garhwa Rajiv Kumar Roy said that basically rainfall contributes surface flow upon the rocky sand covered basin.
More the sand lesser the speed of flow.
These days sand mining has exposed the rock surface of basin.On rocky smooth surface the speed of flow is catastrophic. New sands are not formed in naked rocky catchment areas.The speedy water flow is cutting the banks and sand out of it deposits upon the basin.The flow acts as sand filter.Last year water flew so fast that one embankment and a bridge over on Danro were washed away. Reckless sand lifting supersedes the sand accumulation.
Now this is adversely affecting population settled on and around embankment.This year ground water recharge will sizably be reduced and cutting of embankment can be doubly faster.If next year low rainfall takes place brick making,cultivation etc will reduce, the CF added.
To recover the situation he suggested that basin disturbance is to be stopped completely at once riverbank should be treated by embankment plantations. Catchment area should be put under deep vegetation and soil and moisture conservation works.
To solve the water problem check dams with sufficient height should be constructed on it, he suggested.