The Chite Lui River has a lot of cultural and emotional value for the people of Mizoram, a hilly state in the northeast. But pollution and degradation are being caused by unplanned urbanisation, encroachments, and companies near the river’s banks.
What are the Chite Lui River’s most important parts?
• The Chite Lui River starts in the Bawngkawn range in north Aizawl and runs for about 20 kilometres before it meets the River Tuirial. It is in an alluvial valley about 1,000 metres above sea level.
The following problems and dangers face Chite Lui River:
• Urbanisation:
The fast growth of Aizawl city has led to unplanned building on the banks and even in the Chite Lui River bed.
o The width and depth of the river have shrunk because of all the homes, shops, garages, restaurants, and other buildings that have moved in.
o Deforestation and changes in how the land is used have led to soil erosion and the loss of native plants along the river.
• Pollution:
The river has become a place where people dump all kinds of trash that they make in cities.
o The pollution affects the river’s ecology, aquatic life, and health.
Save Chite Lui Initiatives:
• Zoram Foundation for Research: This non-profit group in Mizoram supports native ways of managing water.
o It started a campaign to save the Chite Lui River in 2007. The campaign included awareness efforts, clean-up drives, surveys, and programmes to help the river.
o It also set up a Save Chite Lui Coordination Committee made up of volunteers, campaigners, experts, and local leaders to oversee the work.
• Chite Lui Water Pollution Prevention and Control Act, 2018: The government of Mizoram passed this law in 2018 to make it illegal to dump animal bodies, biomedical waste, or any other trash into the river.
o The act also gives the state pollution control board the power to manage and keep an eye on things that affect the river’s size and quality.
• Project to Restore the River:
This is a project started by the government of Mizoram to clean up the Chite Lui River by building check dams, improving drainage and sewerage systems, removing obstacles, restoring natural vegetation and building leisure facilities along the river.
