See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/322207055

Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak of India

Chapter · January 2018

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-2984-4_22

CITATIONS READS

14 49,566

2 authors:

Abhay Kumar Singh Soma Giri

CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research Barwa Road CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad
112 PUBLICATIONS   4,377 CITATIONS    45 PUBLICATIONS   1,201 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

DST-Young Scientist project View project

Quaternary Geology of Ganga Plain, Glaciers and Vindhyan Basin, Sedimentology and Geomorphology of River basin of Ganga Plain, Sedimentology and pattern of
retreat of Gangotri glacier, modification of landforms in a glaciated terrain of Gangotri and Kedarnath View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Soma Giri on 16 February 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak
of India

Abhay Kumar Singh and Soma Giri

1 Introduction

The word “Subarnarekha” literally means “streak of gold.” It is a combination of two

words; “Subarna” meaning gold and “rekha” meaning line or streak in Indian lan-
guages. Traditionally, it is believed that gold was mined at a village named Piska
near the origin of the river. This was the reason for the river being named as
Subarnarekha. It has been known that gold particles were found in the Subarnarekha
River bed sediments at ancient time. At some places, even today people are
searching for the gold particles in the sandy beds of the river. As the tributaries of
Subarnarekha flow over gold-bearing rocks of the Panch Pargana plain, they pick up
particles of gold from the auriferous rocks for deposition in the bed of Subarnarekha.
Still, it carries grains of the glittering metal which is often panned from its sandy bed
by the local residents along the middle reaches of the river.
The Subarnarekha is a rain-fed river and ranked as the smallest river basin
among fourteen major river basins of India. The Subarnarekha River originates near
Nagri village (23° 18′ 02″N and 85° 11′ 04″E) in the Ranchi district and runs
through some major cities and towns, i.e., Jamshedpur, Chaibasa, Ranchi, Bhadrak
before joining to the Bay of Bengal near Kirtania port (21° 33′ 18″N and
87° 23′ 31″E) in Orissa. The catchment area of the Subarnarekha River basin
extends over 19,296 km2 and accounts for 0.6% of the geographical area of India
(Roy et al. 2013). The total annual yield of water flowing within the basins is in the
order of 7940 million m3. The Subarnarekha River basin is bounded by north
latitudes of 21° 33′ to 23°32′ and east longitudes of 85° 09′ to 87° 27′ and flows in
the north-east corner of the Peninsular India (Fig. 1). Chota Nagpur plateau
bounded the Subarnarekha River basin from the north-west side, while it is

A.K. Singh (&)
S. Giri

Natural Resources and Environmental Management Group, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining
and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, 826015 Dhanbad, India
e-mail: singhak.cimfr@gmail.com

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 273

D.S. Singh (ed.), The Indian Rivers, Springer Hydrogeology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2984-4_22
274 A.K. Singh and S. Giri

Fig. 1 Location map of Subarnarekha River basin

Table 1 State-wise S. Name of the Catchment area Percentage

distribution of No. state (km2)
the Subarnarekha
drainage area 1 Jharkhand 13,193 68.4
2 Orissa 3‚114 16.1
3 West Bengal 2‚989 15.5
Total 19,296 100
Source Survey of India (1923–1979), Rao (1975)

restricted by the Brahmani River basin in the south-west, Burhabalang River basin
in the south, and by the Bay of Bengal in the south-east side. The Subarnarekha
flows through Ranchi, Saraikela, and east Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand, west
Midnapore district of West Bengal, and Balasore district of Orissa. It flows a
distance of about 395 km from its origin before falling into the Bay of Bengal. Out
of the total travel distance of 395 km, river flows 269 km in Jharkhand, 64 km in
West Bengal, and 62 km in Orissa (CBPCWP 1986; Giri and Singh 2014a).
Subarnarekha is a very important river to satisfy the irrigation, industrial, and
municipal water demands of these three states. The state-wise distribution of the
catchment area and its percentage in respect to the total river basin drainage area are
given in Table 1.
Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak of India 275

2 River Course and Major Tributaries

The River Subarnarekha is originated near the Nagri village, at a distance of about
15 km south-west of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand (Fig. 2a). On the Ranchi pla-
teau, the river lazily winds its way for 60 km till its water plunge down a 74-m-high
cliff, creating a scenic waterfall known as Hundru Fall (Fig. 2b). The river thereafter
flows through a 25-km-long-deep gorge till it emerges out of the Ranchi plateau and
debouches on the flatter piedmont plain of Panch Pargana. By now, the river swells
fairly big, some 500 m wide. After having travelled through a course of 145 km over
the Panch Pargana plain, the river cuts through a narrow defile across the volcanic
lavas of Dalma range. After emerging from the range, the river sweeps through a fairly
wide floor of the Dhalbhum valley for another 150 km till it finally leaves the rocky
granitic terrain of Jharkhand and takes to a more meandering course on the uncon-
solidated alluvial material in the Medinipur district of West Bengal and Balasore
district of Orissa (CBPCWP 1986; Jain et al. 2007). After several turns, the river
eventually empties its enormous volume of water along with its rather heavy silt load
into the shallow shelf of the Bay of Bengal at Kirtania near Talsari (Fig. 2c).

Fig. 2 a The origin place of the Subarnarekha River at Nagri village, b Subarnarekha plunge
down a 74 m high cliff at Hundru (Hundru Fall), c the river near mouth at Kirtania, d confluence of
Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers at Sonari near Jamshedpur
276 A.K. Singh and S. Giri

Table 2 Major Tributaries of the Subarnarekha River

S. Name of the Bank Length Catchment % of the Annual
No. tributary (km) area (km2) total basin yield
area (MCM)
1 Raru Right 50 622 3.22 250
2 Kanchi Right 80 1036 5.37 750
3 Karkari Right 120 1575 8.17 950
4 Kharkai Right 145 5825 30.19 3300
5 Garra Right 55 483 2.50 200
6 Sankh Right 30 196 1.02 80
7 Other streams Right – 4812 24.94 970
of right bank
8 Jumar Left 35 182 0.94 70
9 Dulung Left 75 1173 6.08 500
10 Other streams Left – 4760 17.64 870
of left bank
Total 19,296 100 7940
Source Survey of India (1923–1979), Rao (1975)

The Subarnarekha has an asymmetrical catchment basin; the right-bank tribu-

taries draining more than three-fourths of the total basin area, whereas the left-bank
tributaries drain hardly one-fourth of the basin. On the right bank, there are four
major tributaries, the Raru, the Kanchi, the Karkari, and the Kharkai, draining
between them nearly half of the Subarnarekha basin, covering around 9050 km2
area, while on the left side there is only one sizable stream, namely the Dulung,
which drains an area of some 1173 km2 (Table 2). The Kharkai is the largest
tributary of the Subarnarekha originated on the slopes of the Simlipal massif in
Mayurbhanj district and contributing nearly 45% of the total annual flow of the
Subarnarekha River. It drains a catchment area of 5825 km2 and flows through a
course of 145 km before joining Subarnarekha at Sonari near Jamshedpur town
(Fig. 2d). The Kharkai is also a gold-bearing river, some of its tributaries like the
Sanjai, Sona Sanhua, and the Bonai are known to have placer gold in their beds.

3 Geomorphology and Geology

The Subarnarekha cutting across the Dalma range gives the impression of an
antecedent drainage. Such a situation could arise if the main highlands and the
Dalma ranges are uplifted sequentially, so that, the river emanating from the central
highland is consequent but is antecedent to regions of later uplift as the Dalma
ranges. Alternatively, the Subarnarekha may have eroded down its position over the
then existing surface over the Dalma Range consequent upon lowering of sea level.
In the latter case, it would be superposed river. Detailed work on the geomorphic
Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak of India 277

controls on drainage system may address these questions. The most significant
landscape element of the Subarnarekha basin in its eastern course is marked by the
presence of river terraces (Mahadevan 2002). The terraces are of two to three
generations and vary widely in their extent and relief. Perhaps, representing the
oldest are the terraces recognized north of Tatisilwai in the Ranchi plateau region.
However, more prominent are the terraces recorded in the downstream, where the
river crosses the Dalma ranges. Both bedrock type and alluvial/gravel terraces occur
in the tributaries of the Subarnarekha draining the western margins of the Ranchi
plateau, such as the Sobha, Raro, Kanchi, Garra Sanjai, Kharkai, and Jamir.
Mukhopadhyay (1973) recognizes 3-tier terraces: the upper, middle, and lower; and
upper and lower flood plains in the Kharkai and the Subarnarekha near Tata Nagar.
In the Sanjai basin, the two terrace levels have diverging relief from the pre-
sent river floor, implying changes in plantation and deposition patterns. The
Sanjai–Kharkai basin itself has features of an etch plain, offering evidences of
“inversion of relief.”
Prominent developments of terraces have been described from the lower
Subarnarekha valley. Niyogi (1968) records 3-level terraces in the areas close to
Baharagora–Jamsola on the northern bank of Subarnarekha. These are at elevations
of 74, 61, and 49 m above mean sea level (amsl). The most prominent of these is
the highest terrace, traceable from SW of Baharagora to near Jamsola. The terrace
has a maximum width of some 2.5 km, a prominent natural levee, 2–3 m high, and
about 500 m wide. The other terraces are much smaller in their dimensions. All the
terraces comprise thin alluvial cover over the lateritized basement of the country
rocks (Chaibasa formation).
A prominent erosion surface is described from the western bank of Subarnarekha
near Dhalbhumgarh by Dunn and Dey (1942). The surface occurs 110–120 m
above the river and exposes coarse gravel beds that are correlated with the
Dhalbhumgarh Tertiary gravels exposed to the NE bank of the river. Dunn and Dey
(1942) suggest differential warping or uplift along the western flank of the order of
100–120 m, possibly in the Pliocene or even the Miocene age. Presence of terraces
was reported in the lower reaches of the river catchment at elevations of 75 m and
66 m amsl, each some of 12 m in height. In places, there are indications of a third
terrace also. Niyogi (1968) also records terraces in the downstream of the river at
49 m, 34 m, 12 m, and 9 m amsl separated by modified scarp faces. The devel-
opment of the terraced surfaces is generally considered to be tectonic uplift of the
Chota Nagpur plateau region during the quaternary, particularly in the Holocene
period. However, another important factor that may explain the relatively smaller
features as the river terraces and flood plain fillings is the eustatic changes in sea
levels during the Quaternary, which would have greatly influenced the dynamics of
the river systems.
Indian Shield occupies the major parts of the Subarnarekha river basin, and
ancient Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks are mainly exposed in these
areas. The younger geological formation namely, Tertiary gravels, Pleistocene
alluvium, and Recent alluvium are exposed only in the lower reaches of the basin at
south-east of the Ghatsila. Shallow alluvial formation covers parts of the Shield
278 A.K. Singh and S. Giri

area, especially in the eastern part of Ranchi district. The geological age of the rock
formation of the Subarnarekha river basin is widely ranged. It ranged from
3.8 billion years old older Metamorphic Group of rocks (including tonalite gneiss)
in parts of Mayurbhanj district to the most recent deltaic alluvium. Pelitic schist,
calc-magnesium metasediments, ortho-amphibolites, tonalite-trondhjemite, banded
iron formation, mafic lavas, phyllites, shales, metapellites, quartzite, mafic lavas,
soda-granites, granitic gneiss, dolerite dyke swarms, and gravels are the major litho
units associated with the geological formations of the basin. The soils in the
Subarnarekha basin are derived from diverse parent materials and can be divided
into three groups: (i) alluvial soils, (ii) red soils, and (iii) latosols. The red soils
cover more than 83% of the basin area mainly in the upper reaches of the basin.
River-born alluvial soils cover 11% of the basin area and mostly confined in the
lower valleys and coastal plains. The remaining 4% of the basin area are covered by
the infertile latosol (mainly laterites).

4 Socio-Economic Importance

4.1 Water Resource and Its Uses

Since the basin is located in the moderately heavy rainfall area of Peninsular India,
especially along the belt of storm tracks originating in the Bay of Bengal, it receives
a substantial quantity of rainwater (about 28,609 million cubic meters) every year
(CBPCWP 1986). About 82% of the total annual flow actually occurs over only
four wet months (June–September), while in the remaining part of the year, the
Subarnarekha River and its tributaries run almost dry. If the total annual flow is
taken into consideration, the mean discharge of the river would come around
250 m3/s. At places, especially in the upper and the middle reaches, the river flow
during the dry period becomes sluggish, and it behaves like a stagnant pool of
water, often highly charged with pollutants. The Subarnarekha and its tributaries are
sustaining a large population of Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Orissa and form the
main sources of urban water supply. The water resources of the Subarnarekha River
basin are summarized in Table 3.
Though Subarnarekha basin is rich in mineral and mineral-based industries, it is
still dominated by its agrarian economy. Agriculture, as an economic activity, has
not yet been properly developed within the Subarnarekha basin, and necessary
inputs including irrigation facilities are still rather inadequate. About 62% of the
basin area is classified as cultivable, and nearly 31% is devoted to forests. The
forests within the basin are in poor state of maintenance and required rigorous
protective measures. The net sown area occupies 40% of the basin, while 22% is
left unused as fallow land or as cultivable waste (Table 4).
The Subarnarekha River basin presents a classic example of conflict among
competing uses of water both sectorally and across regions. The river water has
Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak of India 279

Table 3 Water resource potential of Subarnarekha River Basin

Total renewable water resource (km3) 12.37
Potentially utilizable surface water resource (km3) 6.8
Potentially utilizable groundwater resource (km3) 1.7
Total potentially utilizable water resources (km3) 8.5
Total renewable water resource per capita availability (m3) 829
Potentially utilizable water resources per capita availability (m3) 568
Water withdrawal per person (m3) 374
Net irrigated area (million hectare) 0.55
Irrigation intensity (%) 124%
Groundwater irrigated area (% of net irrigated area) 43%
Grain crop irrigated area (% of net irrigated area) 88%
Overall irrigation efficiency (%) 45%
Source CWC (2002)

Table 4 Land-use pattern of Subarnarekha River basin

Land use Area (km2) Percent of the total catchment area (%)
Cultivated 7‚719 40
Cultivable waste/uncultivated (Fallow) 4‚338 22
Forest 5‚934 31
Orchard 350 2
Other use 955 5
Source Das Gupta (1980), CBPCWP (1986)

been used by different agencies for different purposes. It is used by industry as a

direct process input and as a disposal agent for the dilution of effluents; by agri-
culturists for irrigation; and by household sector for drinking and other domestic
uses (Jain et al. 2007). A number of irrigation and multipurpose projects were
initiated to fulfill the water and energy demand of the eastern region. This includes
Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project, an inter-state project in Jharkhand, West
Bengal, and Orissa; Kanchi Irrigation Schemes, and ten Medium Irrigation Projects
of Jharkhand. The main objectives of the Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project
(SMP) are (i) to provide reliable water supply to agricultural lands in Jharkhand,
Orissa, and West Bengal, (ii) to supply 740 million m3 water per year for municipal
and industrial uses in Jharkhand, (iii) to reduce flood damage in Orissa and West
Bengal by constructing 463 million m3 flood-storage capacity dam at Chandil,
(iv) to construct embankments by Orissa and West Bengal governments in their
respective territories along the flooding reaches of the river, and (v) to generate
30 MW of hydroelectric power through medium, mini-, and micro-hydroelectric
projects located at various points of the canal system.
The Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project was initiated in 1982–83 with the
objective of irrigation, hydropower generation, and water supply. However,
280 A.K. Singh and S. Giri

the feasibility and economic viability of the project have decreased due to the
attempts to implement all project components simultaneously and the consequent
delays. This Multipurpose Project envisaged the construction of two dams, one at
Chandil across the Subarnarekha and the other across the Kharkai at Icha near
Chaibasa, two barrages at Galudih across the Subarnarekha and the other across the
Kharkai at Ganjia near Adityapur and a network of canals from these. Three small
storage reservoirs at Haldia, Jambhira, and Baura and a network of canals from
these reservoirs are also proposed in Orissa. However, the construction work of
Chandil dam and Galudih barrage is only completed, while all other components
are either delayed or still incomplete.
A multipurpose reservoir is constructed across the Subarnarekha River at
Getalsud (23° 27′N and 85° 33′E), about 40 km east of Ranchi city in 1971 to meet

Table 5 Water storage/diversion structures of Subarnarekha River basin

S. Dam/barrage Completion River Purpose
No. year
1 Hatia Dam 1963 Subarnarekha Irrigation
2 Sitarampur 1964 Kharkai Irrigation
Dam
3 Getalsud 1971 Subarnarekha Hydroelectric, irrigation, water
Dam storage
4 Kakudajodi 1976 Kukudajodi Irrigation
Dam
5 Nesa Dam 1978 Nesa Irrigation
6 Kharkai Dam 1984 Kharkai Irrigation
7 Lorgara Dam 1985 Kharkhai Irrigation
8 Palna Dam 1985 Ranka Jhuria Irrigation
9 Haladia Dam 1985 Haladia Irrigation
10 Rissia Dam 1986 Tangana Irrigation
nalla
11 Jambhira 1986 Jambhira Irrigation
Dam
12 Dimu Dam 1989 Irrigation
13 Sunei Dam 1990 Sunei River Hydroelectric, irrigation
14 Torlow Dam 1990 Torlow Irrigation
15 Sonua Dam 2009 Sanjay Irrigation
16 Nakti Dam 2010 Bijay Irrigation
17 Raisa Dam U/Ca Kanchi Irrigation
18 Chandil Dam U/Ca Subarnarekha Hydroelectric, irrigation, water
storage
19 Galudih U/Ca Subarnarekha Irrigation
Barrage
20 Icha Dam U/Ca Kharkai Hydroelectric, irrigation
a
Under construction
Source Water Resources Information System of India (2014)
Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak of India 281

municipal water demands of Ranchi town, industrial needs of the Heavy

Engineering Corporation (HEC), and other industrial units of the adjoining areas.
Getalsud dam has a catchment area of 717 km2, dam height of 35.5 m, and water
storage capacity of 288.5 Mm3. Two powerhouses of 65 MW capacities each have
been also commissioned near to dam site. Both the powerhouses have one unit of
65 MW each (Jain et al. 2007). Some of the major water storage/diversion struc-
tures of river basin are summarized in Table 5.

4.2 Mining and Industrial Activities

The upper part of Subarnarekha basin harbors some extensive mineral deposits, and
thus, a number of industries have been established along the banks of the river. The
mineral resources of Subarnarekha basin are mainly comprises of ores of Cu, Fe, U,
Cr, Au, V, industrial minerals including kyanite, asbestos, barytes, apatite, china clay,
talc, limestone, dolomite, and building stones (Giri et al. 2013). All these have been
exploited for various purposes, some on large scale and some on small scale. The
arc-shaped Singhbhum copper belt between Mayurbhanj and Singhbhum districts at
the right bank of the Subarnarekha ranked as the one of the richest copper-bearing
horizons of India. Rakha, Mushabani, and Surda were historically important centers
for the copper mining in this region. Subarnarekha also has to bear country’s richest
uranium deposits, and mining activities are taking place near Jaduguda areas of
Singhbhum district by the Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL). Jaduguda,
Turamdih, Batin, and Narwapahar are the major centers of productive uranium mines.
Deposits of chromite associated with ultramafic intrusive rocks were reported in the
Chaibasa region of Jharkhand. Iron ore deposits occur at Gorumahisani, Badampahar,
and Sulaipat areas. There are several deposits of kyanite occur in the Subarnarekha
River basin including India’s richest deposits at Lapsa Buru. The basin studded with
numerous small quarries for building stones and road metals. Slabs of dolerite,
Singhbhum granites, Kolhan limestone and sandstone, and Chota Nagpur
granite–gneiss are extensively used in building and road constructions.
The Subarnarekha River passes through an industrial rich belt of Jharkhand and
Orissa. There are four major industrial areas occur along the bank of the
Subarnarekha: (i) Ranchi–Hatia industrial area, (ii) alumina processing plant at
Muri, (iii) the iron and steel plant and industrial complex at Jamshedpur, and
(iv) Jaduguda–Ghatsila mining and industrial complex. Heavy Engineering
Corporation (HEC), Usha Martin Industries, MECON, Steel Authority of India
(SAIL), Indian Aluminum Industries, Tata Steel, TELCO, Indian Tube Company,
Tin Plate (of India), Tata Pigments, Hindustan Copper Ltd., and Uranium
Corporation of India are the major existing industrial units in the basin. Other
important small- and medium-sized industries in the basin are tobacco products in
Chakradharpur; cement, asbestos sheets, glass, and ceramics at Chaibasa; loco-
motives and coaches, automobiles, agricultural equipments, wires and cables, iron
and steel machinery, metal tubes and conduits, copper and brass, chemicals and
282 A.K. Singh and S. Giri

caustics, fertilizers, and soaps are the other industries exist at Jamshedpur. Studies
have indicated that the water quality of Subarnarekha River has deteriorated mainly
due to discharge of untreated, domestic and industrial, and mining effluents at
various river stretches (CBPCWP 1986).

4.3 Natural and Anthropogenic Hazards

The river “Subarnarekha” is the lifeline for tribal communities inhabiting the Chota
Nagpur region and the people of the north Orissa. It does not merely represent a river
but means a lot more than that for this region. However, it has also become the death
line when it submerges major areas of Balasore such as Bhogarai, Baliapal, Basta,
Jaleswar blocks, and some parts of Rasgovindpur block of Mayurbhanj every year
during rainy season, causing large-scale devastation in the villages situated on both
sides of the river. Every year, people suffer from the same problem; the only change is
in the intensity of the flood. Annual average rainfall in the basin is in the order of
1250 mm with the maximum and minimum rainfall recorded as 1420 and 1150 mm,
respectively. Out of this, about 90% of this rainfall is recorded during the south-west
monsoon season, i.e., June–October (Jain et al. 2007). The water level of the
Subarnarekha rose beyond its danger line due to heavy rain in July 2007, and it
crossed the previous highest flood level (HFL) of 12.2 m recorded in 1997. Flash
floods due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas were also recorded in the
Subarnarekha River in year 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, and 2009 (Maiti et al. 2009). The
floods were devastating in nature; it took many lives and submerging thousands of
houses and destroyed thousands of hectare kharif crops. Severe deforestation, rapid
urbanization, industrialization, and severe soil degradation in the upper catchment of
the Subarnarekha basin were the main causes for such ecological disaster.
Throughout the Subarnarekha basin, the soil mantle has been subjected to heavy
erosion, and the topsoil is liable to be washed down the river if adequate protection is
not provided immediately. Erosion control and soil conservation in the upper catch-
ment are therefore essential for sustainable agricultural development and conservation
of the water resources of the Subarnarekha basin. Certain parts of Jumar sub-basin
have also been severely affected by gully erosion. There is great fluctuation between
the wet season and dry season flows if the total annual flow is taken into account. The
fact is that the entire amount of annual flow is actually spread over the four wet months
(June–September). During the flood stage, the Subarnarekha turns into a large, tur-
bulent stream of highly turbid water and is charged with sediments of yellow ochre
color. The silt load during the rainy season is very high, indicative of heavy soil
erosion, especially in the upper catchment zone. While floods occur frequently in the
wet season, during the rest eight months, the flow in the Subarnarekha drops down to a
mere trickle, leaving the river as a series of fordable pools of water almost throughout
its length, barring the tidal and lower estuarine stretch of the course.
Subarnarekha’s rich natural resource base has proved to be disastrous for the
basin. Large-scale environmental degradation of the basin owes to the unplanned
Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak of India 283

and unregulated mining and mineral processing industries. Unscientific mining

practices and unplanned dumping of wastes and mining tailing create many envi-
ronmental problems in the region. The erosion and transportation of wastes from
exposed dumps and mining tailing during the monsoon seasons increase suspended
solids and heavy metal loads in the river water and caused siltation in the dams and
reservoirs. Mining of construction and building materials, such as granite, basalt,
quartzite, dolerite, sandstone, limestone, dolomite, gravels, and river sands, has
created many environmental problems and created vast stretches of wasteland in the
river basin. The copper mining around Ghatsila and Mosabani has degraded the
water quality to a large extent, and in many places, concentration of toxic metals was
observed above the prescribed limits. There is also apprehension about water con-
tamination due to seepage of radioactive waste from tailing ponds of the Uranium
Corporation of India near Jaduguda areas. Radioactive pollution is a serious health
hazard in the water bodies of the region which necessities precautions to be taken.
The mine tailing and dumps of injurious minerals must be carefully monitored for
assessing their possible impact on the environment in the Subarnarekha basin.
Besides mining, the other factors responsible for pollution in the river are
considerable amount of domestic and industrial wastewater generated from the
towns which is discharged into the river. For mitigating pollution, proper remedial
measures should be adapted in the towns and the industrial units responsible for
polluting the surface water and groundwater systems. The locations around
Tatisilwai, Muri, Ghatsila, Mosabani, and Jamshedpur indicate severe pollution in
the Subarnarekha River (Giri and Singh 2014b). The need of stringent control of the
quality of the industrial, mining, and domestic wastewater effluents discharged into
the river is utmost important because the total volume of water flows in the river on
the whole is on the lower side, especially during the dry season. During the long dry
period, the Subarnarekha turns into stagnant brook, and at many places, it losses
pollutants diluting capability and totally incapable of washing down the pollutants
discharged into it from the urban and industrial centers such as Hatia, Ranchi, Muri,
Jamshedpur, Jaduguda, and Ghatsila. The surface water quality in the greater part of
the Subarnarekha River is graded as classes D and E on the basis of laboratory
measurements of the constituents (CBPCWP 1986). Upgradation of the existing
river water quality requires an appropriate treatment. It would be necessary to take
up a well-planned pollution control action program not only at different towns and
industries, but throughout the basin.

5 Conclusions

Subarnarekha is an important inter-state river sustaining about fifteen million

people of Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Orissa. However, the environmental con-
dition of the river is deteriorating day by day with the increase in mining and
industrial activities of the basin. Considering the great endowment of natural
resources in the mineral-rich basin of the Subarnarekha River, it is high time that a
284 A.K. Singh and S. Giri

well-integrated plan for ecological development and natural resource management

along with pollution control measures has to be formulated for the basin immedi-
ately. The action plan for prevention of floods and control of water pollution in the
Subarnarekha basin must have to be carried out in an integrated manner involving
massive programs of reforestation, afforestation, soil protection, water conservation,
water storage, and moisture management throughout catchment area, besides
controlling the discharge of pollutants from towns, industries, and agriculture fields.
The Subarnarekha River which behaves like a mighty river during the monsoons
dramatically turns into more or less stagnant pools of water held in hollow and
potholes in the river bed during the summer season. At many places, river lost its
pollutants washing down capability. To mitigate the pollution load in the river,
some effective measures would have to be taken to regulate the monsoon flow and
raise the dry season flow to a reasonable level for dilution of the pollutants. The
distribution of available water resource in different sub-basins within the
Subarnarekha River system and the consequent possible change of water regime
both in the dry and wet seasons, after building of adequate number of water storage
reservoirs in the upper catchment areas, have to be worked out.
Over the years, the frequency of floods is found to have increased to a consid-
erable degree especially in the lower part of the Subarnarekha catchment. The
water-holding capacity, especially in the upper parts of the catchment area, has been
considerably reduced due to severe deforestation, rapid urbanization, extensive
industrialization, and fast degradation of the soil mantle. Appropriate land and
water resource management, massive afforestation, and corrective land-use plan-
ning are essential to abate water pollution, to control the soil erosion, and to
enhance the forest cover area of the basin. There are large tracts of deforested areas,
barren wasteland or inadequately used lands available within the basin for refor-
estation, afforestation, and effective cultivation. In the action plan for abatement of
water pollution, the groundwater sources available within the basin would also have
to be fully mobilized for beneficial uses, supplementing the existing surface water
potential. Only through judicious conjunctive use of both surface and groundwater,
the hydrological cycle can be maintained in a healthy state. Pollution control for the
Subarnarekha basin should have to take into consideration the entire water resource
available within the basin after making a thorough study of the water balance. If
groundwater is properly harnessed and used extensively, the surface flow of the
streams, especially in dry months, can be adequately augmented, thus reducing the
pollution level to a considerable degree. Formulation of an integrated pollution
control and resource development program for the India’s smallest but potentially
rich Subarnarekha River basin will not only help in pollution load reduction, but it
may also serve as an ideal small-scale working model for ecological development
of other basins and sub-basin in India.
 Subarnarekha River: The Gold Streak of India 285

References

CBPCWP (1986) Assessment and development study of river basin series ADSORBS/15/1985-86.
Basin sub basin Inventory of water pollution: the Subarnarekha River basin, Central Board for
the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution (CBPCWP), pp 163
CWC (2002) Water and related statistics. Water Planning and Projects Wing, Central Water
Commission (CWC), New Delhi
Das Gupta SP (1980) Atlas of Agricultural Resources of India. National Atlas and Thematic
Mapping Organization Plates 9, 10, 18, 19
Dunn JA, Dey AK (1942) The geology and petrology of eastern Singhbhum and surrounding
areas. Mem Geol Surv India 69(2):456
Giri S, Singh AK, Tewary BK (2013) Source and distribution of metals in bed sediments of
Subarnarekha River, India. Environ Earth Sci 70:3381–3392
Giri S, Singk AK (2014a) Assessment of human health risk for heavy metals in fish and shrimp
collected from Subarnarekha River, India. Int J Environ Heal R 24:429–449
Giri S, Singk AK (2014b) Risk assessment, statistical source identification and seasonal fluctuation
of dissolved metals in the Subarnarekha River, India. J Hazard Mater 265:305–314
Jain SK, Agarwal PK, Singh VP (2007) Mahanadi, Subernarekha and Brahmani Basins. Water
science and technology library. In: Hydrology and water resources of India, vol 57. Springer,
Netherlands, pp 597–639
Maiti S, Jana A, Bhattacharya, AK (2009) Generation of a coastal flood hazard zonation map of
Midnapur-Balasore Coast in Eastern India using integrated remote sensing and GIS techniques.
In: Joint international workshop of ISPRS WG IV/1, WG VIII/1 and WG IV/3 on geospatial
data cyber infrastructure and real-time services with special emphasis on disaster management.
INCOIS Hyderabad
Mahadevan TM (2002) Geology of Bihar & Jharkhand. Geological Society of India, Bangalore,
p 563
Mukhopadhyay SC (1973) River terraces of the Subarnarekha basin. Geogr rev India 35(2):
152–170 Geographical Society India, Calcutta
Niyogi D (1968) Morphology of the terraces of the Subarnarekha River, India. Selected Paper, 21
International Geographic Congress. 1, pp 84–88
Rao KL (1975) India’s water wealth, its assessment, uses and protection. Orient Longman,
New Delhi, pp 39–70
Roy D, Begam S, Ghosh S, Jana S (2013) Calibration and validation of HEC-HMS model for a
river basin in eastern India. J Eng Appl Sci 8:40–56
Survey of India (1923–1979) Topographical sheets no. 73 E, F, G, I, J, K, M, N, O
Water Resources Information System of India (WRIS) Retrieved 06.08.2014. http://india-wris.
nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Subarnarekha

View publication stats