3 min readRaipurJul 19, 2026 06:50 AM IST
Geo-tagging of river origin points, district-wise River Revival Plans, scientific monitoring of river discharge, groundwater levels and water quality, and technical scrutiny by expert institutions — these are among the measures the Chhattisgarh government says it has taken to prevent river pollution.
In an affidavit to the Chhattisgarh High Court, the state government informed the court of the steps taken to tackle river pollution. This comes nearly two months after the court came down heavily on the government, citing media reports on untreated industrial discharge, blackened water and fish deaths in the Shivnath and Kharun rivers.
In a major step towards river protection, the state informed the court that geo-tagging of river origin points has been completed and they are being digitally mapped on the PM Gati Shakti platform as part of a statewide river restoration programme.
It also said district-wise River Revival Plans have been prepared or are being finalised, and expert institutions including IIT Roorkee, NIT Raipur and Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University (CSVTU), Bhilai, have been engaged to prepare technically sustainable restoration plans.
Further, a “State Level Source Festival (Rajya Stariya Shrot Mahotsav)” and a “State Level Workshop” will be organised and deliberations and recommendations emerging from the said programme shall be suitably incorporated into the ongoing River Rejuvenation Plans to further strengthen the implementation of the directions issued by this Hon’ble Court and the State Level Committee.
It will be organised during the last week of July and attended by members of the state-level committee, district committees and river origin site committees constituted in various districts, representatives of concerned government departments, technical experts, academic institutions, local bodies, public representatives, voluntary organizations (NGOs), environmental groups and other stakeholders.
The chief secretary said a meeting was held on June 15 and directions issued to all district collectors, including undertaking only scientifically suitable river conservation works in consultation with expert institutions, submitting geotagged photographs of river origin points before the court and implementing “desiltation policy, river bank protection and flood control works through SDRF and other available schemes”.
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It also included ensuring scientific monitoring of river discharge, water quality and groundwater levels.
The affidavit gave river-wise updates on 11 rivers, including the Hasdeo in Koriya/MCB districts. “The Hasdeo River’s origin has been identified and geo-tagged, and a comprehensive River Revival Plan is being prepared. The plan includes catchment treatment, riverbank protection, desiltation, plantation, groundwater and water-quality monitoring, while the source—considered a religious site—is proposed to be developed through environmentally sustainable facilities such as homestays”.
The two-judge Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal said the government had prima facie demonstrated substantial compliance with its directions but found the affidavit silent on its 2020 order directing the removal of encroachments around the Arpa river’s origin, asking the chief secretary to file a separate affidavit on the issue. The court will hear the case on August 11.