Industrial Development
Another significance of rivers is the development of industries across their course. One of the biggest blessings of rivers is the development of dams and hydropower projects on them. Today, electricity is so vital that we can’t imagine our lives without it. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, called dams ‘the temples of modern India.‘ Indeed, dams have played a significant role in the nation’s development. They are used for generating hydroelectricity and irrigation purposes; for instance, the Bhakra-Nangal dam on river Satluj in Himachal Pradesh generates electricity and provides water to the farm fields. Moreover, India exports a fraction of hydroelectricity produced to Bhutan. This helps in building constructive bilateral relations.
If we look at the past few years’ trends, we notice that the total production of hydroelectricity has declined. According to the Central Electricity Authority’s(CEA) report, in the fiscal year 2019-20, the power generation from hydropower projects was only 11.2% of the total power generated. This is indeed a concern looking at the continuous increase in the power demand. The government must try to utilize the potential of the power projects.
Apart from the hydroelectricity projects, rivers are also helpful in supporting other industries as well. Industrial waste is thrown into the rivers after proper treatment. For instance, the industrial waste of Delhi and its nearby areas are thrown into the river Yamuna which helps the industries of this area flourish. If it were not for rivers, it would be quite difficult for the industries to boom.
As we know, India is a developing nation, which means that umpteen construction projects are going on. This vast number of construction sites require river sand extracted from river banks, such as the river Sone in Bihar. So, rivers are quite essential for the development of big industries.
Role of Rivers in Indian Economy
Since the inception of human civilization, rivers have been a significant part of human lives. Water has been the most precious natural resource since time immemorial. In fact, the earliest known human settlements were started around the river banks, for instance, the Indus valley civilization. The primary reason for these developments was the potential of rivers as a source of livelihood and to generate economic activities around them. Over the period, as human civilizations across the nation began to develop, the dimensions of rivers as a source of the economy also increased. Let’s discuss some spheres where we find the economic importance of rivers.
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