River Rejuvenation Project ‘Devika’

03 Jan,2024

News excerpt:

The government is set to unveil North India’s first river rejuvenation project ‘Devika’.

About Project ‘Devika’

The project DEVIKA was launched by the Prime Minister in February 2019.
It is built on the lines of ‘Namami Gange’.
The River rejuvenation project ‘Devika’ is in the final stages and it will be completed soon.

The Liquid Waste Management (LWM) project has been undertaken separately to protect the sanctity of the holy river in Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir.
This project has been included in the Government of India’s National River Conservation Project (NRCP).
The LWM project with the network of pipes and manholes connecting all the households under the project is being constructed by J&K’s Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) to protect its sanctity.
Built at a cost of over Rs 190 crore, the sharing of fund allocation is in the ratio of 90:10 by the center and U.T (Jammu & Kashmir) respectively.
Besides a Liquid Waste Management Project, a Solid Waste Management (SWM) project will also be constructed under Devika Rejuvenation Project which is vital in many aspects protecting the sanctity of the river.
The project also includes the construction of three sewage treatment plants, development of two cremation ghats, protection fencing and landscaping, small hydropower plants and three solar power plants.
After the completion of the project, the rivers will see reduction in pollution and improvement in water quality.

Conservation of Lakes and Rivers

The National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) aims at preventing pollution of rivers and improving water quality.
NRCP is implemented for abatement of pollution in identified stretches of rivers in the country, excluding those in Ganga basin, by providing financial and technical assistance to the States/Union Territories (UTs) on cost sharing basis.
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with the State Pollution Control Boards/Committees in different States/UTs has been monitoring water quality of rivers and other water bodies in the country through a network of monitoring stations under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme.

Namami Gange Programme

It was launched under the Ministry of Jal Shakti in June 2014 for a period up to 31st March, 2021 to rejuvenate River Ganga and its tributaries with a budgetary outlay of Rs.20,000 crore.
Considering the need and spread of the Programme, Government of India has further approved Namami Gange Mission-II with a budgetary outlay of Rs.22,500 crore till 2026 .

About Devika river

The Devika River originates from the hilly Suddha Mahadev temple in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir.
It flows down towards western Punjab (now in Pakistan) where it merges with the Ravi River.
The river presently runs under its sandy surface.

Religious significance

Devika River is considered the sister of the sacred river Ganga, and it has a great religious significance.
This River is mentioned in the Nilmat Puran that was written in the 7th century by Nela Muni also, this river is mentioned in Devi Mahatmya .
Cremation on the sands of Devika is considered as meritorious as cremation on the banks of the Ganges at Kashi.

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