River Protection Moves
Saryu Roy founded Damodar Bachao Andolan with a few supporters and launched an awareness cum study yatra to assess the extent of pollution of waters of river Damodar on May 29, 2004, the day of auspicious Ganga Dushehara from its origin point to its length and breadth up to Kolkata. Subsequently he repeated the same practice with river Subernarekha in 2005. A group of scientists, and experts with their mobile laboratory accompanied the march and took stock of the pollution in the rivers at various points.
In the year 2010 from Aug 26 to Sept 2 he undertook an awareness march from Amarkantak, the origin point of river Sone to its confluence with Ganges near Patna to highlight the adverse impact Mega thermal power plants on the environment in and around Singarauli in U.P and M.P.as well as shrinking irrigation facility in Sone Command Area of Bihar causing loss of food grain production in large amount. He has covered most of the district towns in Jharkhand to assess the danger on small rivers flowing through the townships due to rampant encroachments of the river regime and untreated flow of civic sewage and drainage inside the river stream.
He is doing his best to rejuvenate the health of small rivers with people’s participation to exert pressure on policy makers and state executives. Much more is needed to be done in this field.
The mighty river Ganga flows through just two districts of Jharkhand namely Sahebganj and Pakur bordering Bihar but more than two third area of the state falls in Ganga Basin.All the rivers originating from or passing through Jharkhand except rivers of Sankh and South Koel basins merges in the Ganga river directly or indirectly He was on the forefront of agitation launched against Farakka Barrage agreement on sharing of Ganga waters with Bangladesh and firmly believes that the agreement is not in the interest of Bihar and Jharkhand. IT has already done a lot of damage to the people specially fishing community in its upper reaches.
Farakka Treaty between India and Bangladesh to share Gangaji River Water
Sone like Damodar is a masculine river. All the rivers are marked feminine with a few exceptions like Sone, Damodar and Brahmputra. It is a major tributary of river Ganga. It originates from legendary Amarkantak and flows in opposite direction to Narmada ji. After traveling a distance of 504 km in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh combine, a distance of 96 km in Uttar Pradesh and 216 km in Jharkhand and Bihar combine it merges with river Ganga about 35 km south of Patna.
Damodar is an interstate river. It originates from Chulhapani in Lohardagga district in Jharkhand and merges into river Hugli, a branch of mighty river Ganga in west Bengal. It travels 258 km in Jharkhand and 283 km in West Bengal. Damodar is one of the largest sub basins of Ganga basin. It is also one of the most polluted river in the country. The centres of economic activities thriving on both of its banks and elsewhere in its basins are proving Bhasmasur for it and bent upon finishing its very existence by means of pollution. The acute pollution of river Damodar is not due to incidental failures but due to technological success.
Subernarekha is an interstate river emanating from a place called Ranichua near Nagari about 15 kms southwest of Ranchi and after traversing a distance of 269 km in Jharkhand and 126 km in Orissa merges with sea in the bay of Bengal. It is the only major river of Jharkhand which originates from Jharkhand and merges into sea directly having an independent basin, though small. Saryu Roy is requesting the state govt. to bestow honour upon it and declare it declare Subernarekha the state river. Due to his sole effort. The origin point of Subernarekha has already been declared a tourist place by the State Govt.