Mizoram’s Chite Lui River is crying for help

Source: The post is based on the article “Mizoram’s Chite Lui River is crying for help” published in Down To Earth on 15th June 2023

What is the News?

Chite Lui River in Mizoram is in danger as it has been turned into a dumping ground.

What is the Chite Lui River?

Chite Lui River is situated in Aizawl, Mizoram. It is situated in an alluvial valley at an altitude of about 1,000 metres.

Origin: The river starts its journey from Bawngkawn range in north Aizawl and flows for around 20 km in eastern Aizawl before joining River Tuirial at the southern end of the city. 

Significance: The river is close to the heart of the local population. Stories and songs about the river are popular in Mizoram and even among the Mizo tribes in Myanmar.

What are the major threats faced by the Chite Lui River?

The rapid growth of Aizawl City has led to unplanned construction activities on the banks and even on the river bed of Chite Lui River.

Many houses, shops, garages, eateries and other establishments have encroached upon the river’s space and reduced its width and depth.

The river also suffers from loss of natural vegetation and soil erosion due to deforestation and land use change.

Moreover, the river has also become a dumping ground for various kinds of waste generated by the urban population. This affects the aquatic life, biodiversity and health of the river.

What are the efforts made to save the Chite Lui River?

Zoram Research Foundation, a non-profit organization working for traditional water management in Mizoram, began an initiative to save the river in 2007. 

Slowly the local people began to understand the importance of the river and the necessity to keep it clean.

The volunteers of the organization along with local residents began periodic campaigns to clean the river banks and found that 80 percent of the waste comprised plastic. 

A plastic road — the first in the state — was also constructed last year from the polythene waste retrieved from the river.

The Prime Minister also praised the citizens’ efforts to save the river. In the 90th edition of his Mann ki Baat, he mentioned the Save Chite Lui action plan to save the river that had been turned into a landfill.