River Rejuvenation Project: The Ministry for Forest, Environment, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently announced the project for the rejuvenation of 13 major rivers in the country.

About the selected Rivers:

The 13 rivers that will form part of the rejuvenation project cover nearly 57.45% of India’s geographical area. These rivers are:

1)Himalayan Rivers: Jhelum, Chenab, Sutlej, Ravi, Beas, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra.

2)Deccan or Peninsular Rivers: Narmada, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, & Cauvery.

3)Inland drained Category River: Luni.

Goals:

The river rejuvenation project aims to achieve the following four goals:

1)Sustainable management of rivers and their landscapes.

2)Biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration.

3)Improving sustainable livelihoods.

4)Knowledge management.

About the project:

• The detailed project reports (DPRs) of the 13 rivers selected for rejuvenation was prepared by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).
• The cost of the project is projected to be 19,342.62 crores.
• It will take five years to be implemented.
• As per the plan, the rivers will be revitalized by constructing riparian forests or planting trees along their banks.
• These riparian forests are expected to increase the cumulative forest cover by 7,417.36 square kilometers in the vicinity of these 13 rivers.

Note: Riparian forests act as natural buffers and biofilters, assisting rivers in their self-purification process.

• These trees in the forest will act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and assisting India in attaining its carbon sequestration targets.
• According to DPRs prepared by ICFRE, these ‘forestry’ interventions would prevent 50.21 million tonnes of CO2–equivalent in 10–year–old plantations and 74.76 million tonnes CO2–equivalent in 20–year–old plantations.
• They would also help in recharging groundwater, reducing sedimentation; generating ₹449.01 crore from non-timber and other forest produce as well as providing employment of 344 million man-days.

Targets set by India:

• By 2030, India has set a target to develop a carbon sink with a capacity of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2.
• As part of the Bonn Challenge in 2015, India has vowed to rehabilitate 5 million hectares of damaged land by 2030.