A river is basically a drainage for rain water to flow from the mountains to the sea. If it is not cleaned in time, even the drains in our town get choked, causing water to flood the road. This is true of the rivers too.
Over the years, the rivers are silted by the soil carried down by the river water. Soil erosion is a major loss to the earth.
Both these problems can be tackled at one stroke, with simple labour, without any cement or steel.
Dig the rivers in summer season, when most of the rivers cease to flow. We can dredge up to three metres at least, depending on the type of soil. The soil should be used for making strong embankments, which should be at least fifty feet at the top and more than hundred feet at the base. This will ensure that it will not be pushed away by the flood waters. In due course, the bank will get consolidated with grass covering the surface.
While digging, some stretch of land in the river bed, say, three hundred feet,
must be left untoched. This portion can be raised by about three feet, just enough for a causeway to be made, for use in summer, with the excavated soil. In the rainy season, these depressions will be filled up with water, which can be used in summer for irrigatiion.
Storing water for irrigation.
Preventing floods.
Reducing soil erosion.
Ground water recharging.
Enabling people and carts to cross the river in summer.
Providing scope for NREG funds to be used for purposefully.
Saving huge amounts of money, now spent during floods.
Avoiding distress to lakhs of people, caused by floods.
These are only some of the benefits. Where the terrain permits, the portion dug up can be used for water transport, fishing etc. The embankments may be used for making roads.
This must be taken up at national level, during the next summer.
Both these problems can be tackled at one stroke, with simple labour, without any cement or steel.
Dig the rivers in summer season, when most of the rivers cease to flow. We can dredge up to three metres at least, depending on the type of soil. The soil should be used for making strong embankments, which should be at least fifty feet at the top and more than hundred feet at the base. This will ensure that it will not be pushed away by the flood waters. In due course, the bank will get consolidated with grass covering the surface.
While digging, some stretch of land in the river bed, say, three hundred feet,
must be left untoched. This portion can be raised by about three feet, just enough for a causeway to be made, for use in summer, with the excavated soil. In the rainy season, these depressions will be filled up with water, which can be used in summer for irrigatiion.
Storing water for irrigation.
Preventing floods.
Reducing soil erosion.
Ground water recharging.
Enabling people and carts to cross the river in summer.
Providing scope for NREG funds to be used for purposefully.
Saving huge amounts of money, now spent during floods.
Avoiding distress to lakhs of people, caused by floods.
These are only some of the benefits. Where the terrain permits, the portion dug up can be used for water transport, fishing etc. The embankments may be used for making roads.
This must be taken up at national level, during the next summer.
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