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NEW DELHI : Global warming is shrinking many rivers across the world.
The use of river waters for industrial purpose is also affecting their levels.
The Sutlej, one of India's largest rivers, is one such example. It has reached an unusually low level, threatening the ecology around it.
Many north Indian states are dependent on the waters of the Sutlej for irrigation and power generation.
But the river's plunging level is spreading gloom, especially in the Kinnaur Valley of Himachal Pradesh state.
Unconfirmed reports said the local water table in Kinnaur has been severely affected.
Environmentalists feel the reduction in the waters of the Sutlej can have severe consequences and may irreparably damage the aquatic habitat.
R S Minahs, environmentalist, said: "The water was so deep earlier that we feared going near the river. Now instead of water, we find tractors moving on the sand. The condition of aquatic life has worsened."
The trans-boundary Sutlej River originates from the snow-filled Mansarovar Lake in Tibet.
The total length of the river is about 960 miles, of which 328 is in Pakistan.
Situated at an altitude of 20,000 feet above the sea level, it flows through the gorges of the Himalayas before entering India.
The low water level may partly be due to poor snowfall in the Himalayas last winter.
But environmental activists suspect some private companies are also responsible, as they control the waters for power-generation and are not releasing it as per government norms.
Bhishm Singh, a local resident, said: "The dam, which a private company here has constructed, is not according to the norms of the government. They have to release 15 per cent of water from the dam. But these people do not release even two per cent of the water stored in the dam."
But it is not only a question of too little.
The region is constantly under the threat of flash floods.
In August 2000, a 45-feet high wall of water had swept away 200 people from Kinnaur and Shimla districts in Himachal Pradesh.
A similar rise in the water levels of Sutlej washed everything in its path in 2005.
Sutlej River is also choked with industrial waste and recently suffered a toxic oil spill in one of its tributaries. The oil spill has since damaged the nearby wetlands that were home to migratory birds. And various samples collected from the river show that it is still highly polluted. Now, environmentalists have called for the shutting down of at least four toxic factories near the river. - CNA/ms
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