How a Shrinking River Has Put Farming at Risk in This Jharkhand District

This article was originally published in 101Reporters under Creative Common license. Read the original article.

By Sachin Jha Shekhar

Dhanbad, Jharkhand: Afroz Ansari, 34, recalls that his father and grandfather once cultivated water-intensive paddy crops on most of their nearly three acres of land in Bhitiya village of Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district.

However, with the flow of the Khudia river along their settlement having all but dried up, the family has no source to irrigate their fields. As a result, “agriculture here has practically perished”, said Ansari. 

This experience is not unique to his family. All farmers living along the nearly 44-kilometre-long river in Govindpur, Tundi, and Nirsa blocks once considered it their lifeline. In the last 40 years, however, several of them have had to give up agriculture and take up work either in coal kilns or industries in the district.

In this time, the drainage density in the Khudia’s catchment area has declined by more than 50%, according to a 2025 study by the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad.

This means that the total length of the river, as compared to the size of the catchment area, has decreased. As a consequence, there are fewer sources available for localised crop irrigation. 

See Also: Jharkhand Woman Runs 1,600 Meters Barefoot in Saree for Home Guard Post, Earns Praise; Netizens Call Her ‘Superwoman’

It is due to this that Faraz, whose father supported his family through farming, has given up the profession and started working at a coal kiln. 

“In the past, the Khudia river provided water all year round," said Faraz. “But now, there isn't enough water even for four months. In the summer, it dries up almost completely. Nearly everyone in my settlement has abandoned farming. There is simply no profit in it anymore."

The journey of Khudia

Khudia is a tributary of the Damodar river, the largest stream flowing through the industrial regions of Jharkhand. It originates in the forests of Topchanchi – specifically from the Behichiya Hill.

After this, it flows through a natural landscape, being fed by rainwater that reaches the river through small streams, rivulets and channels. It travels from Barwadda in the north, passes through Govindpur and reaches Nirsa, where near the Khudia Phatak, a sluice gate, the river crosses the historic Grand Trunk road, shifting its course from a west-east direction to a north-south orientation, before entering the coal-mining region and flowing toward Mugma.

At one point, Khudia supported both the domestic and agricultural needs of the settlements along it. In fact, about five decades ago, an irrigation project dependent on this river aimed to irrigate 4,130 hectares of land. 

In 2026, Khudia itself is grappling with a water crisis. As it trickles to Govindpur today, it faces mounting pressure from road infrastructure, human settlements, industrial activity, mining and construction. 

Further, in Nirsa, the presence of brick kilns, other industries and a growing population places increasing pressure on the river. 

In its study, IIT-ISM analysed the changes in drainage systems of seven catchment areas and 56 sub-watersheds in the Ganga basin from the periods 1970 to 1977 and 2021 to 2024. 

A catchment area is the specific land area from which all rainfall and surface runoff drain into a water body. A watershed is an area of land that separates water flowing into different drainage systems or river basins.

The study found that the drainage density across the catchment and watersheds had decreased by between 33.33% and 70.16%. The decline in the Khudia catchment exceeded 50%. 

Additionally, a comparison of satellite images from 2012 to 2025 near Tilabani in Govindpur shows a shift in the landscape surrounding the Khudia. In 2012, open land and natural terrain are clearly visible, whereas the 2025 imagery reflects changes in land use and the expansion of development. 

Further southeast, in Gopinathpur, satellite images show how mining has expanded and altered the surrounding landscape. 

The 2025 study pointed out that the land around the river plays a crucial role in capturing rainwater, facilitating groundwater recharge, and channelling water into the river through smaller streams. The construction of buildings, industries and roads can alter these natural pathways by disrupting the connectivity of minor streams and impeding natural water flow.

This indicates that the crisis facing the Khudia is not merely a reduction in the river's own water volume, but a weakening of the entire natural system that feeds it.  

See Also: 8 Months of Hard Work, Back to Square One: Bittu Tabahi Shares Disheartening Video of Ajnar River Being Polluted Again

Failure to rejuvenate

In 1981, in response to a query raised in Parliament by the then-MP for Dhanbad, AK Roy, it was stated that the “Khudia Weir Scheme” had been announced to provide irrigation for 4,130 hectares of land. 

Although several check dams and bridges have been constructed since then, and pipelines installed for water supply, the irrigation infrastructure remains in poor condition, with many canals now in a state of disrepair. 

In 2016, the state administration approved Rs 85.15 crore for rejuvenation of the Khudia Weir Scheme. The state Economic Survey 2016-’17 set a target to restore irrigation capacity for 3,951 hectares through this project. 

The project was slated for completion by 2019. However, reports have indicated that it remains unfinished. 

As it flows today, the Khudia river – which irrigated thousands of hectares of farmland in Dhanbad for decades and provided drinking water to settlements along a 30-km stretch – continues to resemble a mere drain.

How life has changed along the banks

Utpal Mandal, a resident of Ratanpur village in Govindpur, spent his entire childhood alongside the Khudia river. He recalls that the river was not merely a source of water, it was an integral part of the village’s social and cultural fabric. 

For instance, on the occasion of the Hindu harvest festival of Makar Sankranti observed in January, residents used to take a dip in the river. With the river's flow weakening over the past decades, the custom can no longer be followed. 

Ratanpur was also one of the villages that was expected to benefit from the Khudia Weir Scheme. With its failure, Mandal pointed out that several of the villagers have in the last two decades moved to other forms of employment. 

Additionally, some farmers say that as the Khudia river has depleted, the groundwater table in the region has also receded. 

But there is no official data to ascertain this as the Central Ground Water Board does not have a dedicated monitoring network to analyse changes in groundwater table in the catchment area of ​​the Khudia river. 

Despite the lack of data, Uttam Rajak and Rinku Devi, residents of Chanch Patari in Mugma, say that for the past several years, they have been facing water shortages for seven to eight months of the year. 

In the Kumhar Basti of Dahibari, Sunita Devi explains that people once drank water from the Khudia river. But now, “there is a scramble for water and we have to fetch our drinking water in containers". 

Sunita blames mining for the destruction of the river.

 A domino effect 

Will the impact of Khudia’s decline remain limited to those living along it? Professor Anshumali, who led the 2025 IIT-ISM study, does not think so. 

He pointed out that a river is not merely its main channel. Its entire hydrological system, composed of smaller first-order, second-order, and third-order streams, keeps it alive, said Anshumali.  

In the case of Khudia, it is a tributary of the Damodar river, which flows through the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Damodar itself is a tributary of the Hooghly River, which is the westernmost distributary of the Ganga. 

“Protecting a large river basin requires the conservation of its smaller rivers, tributaries, and the entire watershed,” said Anshumali. “The weakening of the smaller streams gradually impacts the entire river system.”

He explained that as smaller streams weaken, the water-retention capacity of larger rivers may be affected. Additionally, reduced water retention in smaller rivers can also lead to excessive pressure on larger rivers to provide for industries and human settlements, added the professor. 

It is in view of this that Gulab Chandra Prajapati, who has long been involved in the conservation of the Damodar river system, has proposed that an expert river commission should be formed to revive smaller streams like Khudia. 

“Its entire catchment area and natural course should be mapped, and councils of villages along it should be involved in the monitoring process,” he said. 

The activist also said that a mechanism should be built for increased accountability from mining companies and industries to protect the rivers around them.

See Also: India Ranks 176th Out of 177 Countries in Global Environment Performance Index 2026, Among World's Worst Performers

Announcements galore

In recent years, both Jharkhand and central governments have made several announcements to rejuvenate the irrigation capacity of Khudia. But there is no publicly available data about the status of these efforts. 

In 2020, the North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management, which functions under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, issued a tender to conduct a soil survey and develop an irrigation plan for ​​a reservoir project on Khudia. 

This included a survey of 3,750 hectares of land, with an assessment of groundwater levels, the irrigation system and deficiencies within the drainage network. 

Subsequently, in 2023, the Tenughat Dam Division of the Jharkhand government issued a tender worth Rs 1.68 crore for the construction of a Sluice-Regulator bridge and two escape channels associated with the Khudia weir. The work was ultimately sanctioned at a cost of Rs 1.30 crore. 

Most recently, in its first meeting on August 24, the Jharkhand State Wetland Authority decided to conduct the physical and factual verification, demarcation, and formal notification of 2,119 potential wetlands in the state. 

In response to queries regarding these monitoring and restoration efforts, the Dhanbad district administration refused to provide any specific information. 

The office of the Dhanbad deputy commissioner stated that action has been taken against illegal mining in the Jamuniya and Damodar river regions, and that, following directives from the chief minister, relevant officials have been instructed to remove encroachments from all water sources. 

However, the official did not give any response to questions regarding monitoring or conservation efforts concerning the Khudiya river or its catchment area.

Questions were also sent to the Tenughat Dam Division and the Water Resources Department regarding the condition of canals and drainage channels of Khudia. However, no response had been received by the time of writing.

_[Wc/HP]

Suggested Reading: