Raipur: Indravati river, regarded as the lifeline of Bastar in south Chhattisgarh, is facing the worst ever crisis this summer with the iconic Chitrakoot waterfall ceasing to spew water completely. The Chitrakoot waterfall in Jagdalpur, the district headquarter of Bastar, is known as the ‘Small Niagara Falls’ for the voluminous discharge throughout the year. It is for the first time that it has gone dry.
“No one here in living memory recalls the waterfall going dry in the past. Concerned locals are coming together to launch a campaign to save the Indravati as they fear the river may be lost and consequently aggravate the deep water crisis in the region,” said a Bastar resident.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on announced that Indravati Development Authority (IDA) will be set up to revive Indravati river, lifeline of vast Bastar region.
Thousands of tourists flock to see the Chitrakoot waterfall every year. The waterfall is entirely dependent on the Indravati river, which originates at Mardiguda in Odisha’s Kalahandi district and enters Chattisgarh near Bhejapadar in Jagdalpur covering some 164 km. After traversing 265 km in Bastar zone-cutting through Jagdalpur-Dantewada-Bijapur, the river enters Telangana. The fall was recently re-watered on a small scale through the local Kosateda dam.
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