Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Riparian Health Assessment and Floodplain Fragmentation in the Rarh Region of Eastern India: Gauging the impact of mineral/sand mining and land use changes on the stream corridor quality and ecogeomorphology for prioritizing river restoration reaches |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Priyank Pravin Patel, Presidency University, West Bengal |
Timeline Start Year : | 2022 |
Timeline End Year : | 2025 |
Contact info : | priyank.geog@presiuniv.ac.in |
Equipments : | River Restoration Software
On-site Multi-parameter Water Quality Sensor
Bedload sampler
Geospatial Data Products (High Resolution Satellite Images and Digital Elevation Model)
Soil corer and soil auger |
Details
Executive Summary : | Human activities have significantly altered rivers and riparian zones over the past century, disrupting channel-floodplain connectivity and natural streamflows, affecting local ecological relations. This degradation has backfired on human society due to its dependency on freshwater habitats and resources. River sand/gravel mining, driven by economic development and urbanization, affects almost every river in India due to its huge demand and profitability. This mining impairs channel stability through bed excavation and bar skimming, resulting in sediment budget alterations, streambed degradation, loss of natural channel features, and stream habitats. Sand and mineral mining also impair river water quality due to enhanced turbidity and the transfer of slag deposits into channels. It also degrades adjacent wetlands and fragments floodplain vegetation. These impacts may seem localized but can cause significant geomorphic and hydraulic adjustments over time, potentially posing hazards to nearby lands. There is an urgent need to assess the overall impacts of sand and mineral ore mining within stream corridors, particularly in regions like the Chotonagpur-Rarh tract of Eastern India. Such studies can help identify the extent of landscape degradation and fragmentation in riparian zones and aid in prioritizing restoration sites. A holistic framework for stream hydrogeomorphic assessment, incorporating hydrological, geomorphic, water quality, sediment geochemistry for pollutant tracking, and ecological parameters, is needed to inform river sand mining policies in West Bengal and potentially augment the frameworks for prioritizing river reaches for restoration in other areas. |
Total Budget (INR): | 47,88,360 |
Organizations involved