Vishwamitri revival at crossroads: Expert panel flags critical gaps in river rejuvenation efforts

By A Representative 

A high-level expert committee constituted by the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) has issued a stark warning regarding the ongoing efforts to rejuvenate the Vishwamitri River, stating that without a fundamental shift toward holistic, ecosystem-centric planning, the vision of mitigating floods and restoring the river will remain unattainable. 

In its fourth and most comprehensive report submitted to GSHRC, the Vishwamitri Committee detailed significant progress in data collection and physical works but highlighted alarming gaps in execution, governance, and ecological sensitivity, particularly concerning the river’s flagship mugger crocodile population.

The 148-page report, based on extensive site visits, drone surveys, and stakeholder meetings conducted between September and December 2025, consolidates observations from previous submissions. It praises the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and Irrigation Department for completing extensive desilting and resectioning works and providing a wealth of data, including floodplain maps and drone footage. 

The report notes that due to these flood control measures, the river level at Kalaghodra during the heavy 2025 monsoon was recorded at 21.55 feet, a reduction of 7-8 feet compared to historical levels for a similar discharge, potentially averting a more severe flooding event.

However, the committee, comprising environmental planner Dr. Neha Sarwate, activist Rohit Prajapati, zoologist Dr. Ranjitsinh Devkar, botanist Dr. Jitendra Gavali, and architect Mitesh Panchal, expressed deep concern that current interventions remain dangerously narrow. They argue that focusing solely on the main river channel while ignoring floodplains, ravines, wetlands, and tributaries fails to treat the river as an integrated living system, as mandated by the National Green Tribunal in 2021.

A major point of contention is the handling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste and municipal solid waste. While the VMC has initiated a plan to quantify debris at 13 locations along the riverbank, the committee found the initial consultant report "perfunctory" and is awaiting a final action plan. They warned that debris is often not removed prior to bank stabilization, leading to altered floodplain topography. Furthermore, the active landfill on the Jambuva River, a major tributary, continues to overflow and pollute the water, representing a critical source of contamination.

The committee has also raised serious red flags regarding biodiversity. It noted that ecological engineering measures like coir logs have sometimes been applied on depositional banks rather than erosion-prone ones, and that steep banks have been unnecessarily disturbed. They stressed that riverine vegetation is critical for species like crocodile hatchlings and should not be removed. The report highlighted the presence of a healthy breeding population of mugger crocodiles within the city limits as globally rare, yet it warned that heavy machinery and unscientific interventions are causing unavoidable disturbance. 

The committee is still awaiting detailed data on crocodile deaths that have occurred since January 2025 and post-mortem reports, as well as a spatial intervention plan to protect dens and basking sites from proposed structural interventions like gabion walls. Incidents such as the dumping of pig carcasses into the river in July 2025 were flagged as serious ecological and public health violations.

Infrastructure projects, including the Bullet Train and NH-48 expansion, have also come under scrutiny. While documents have been received from NHSRCL and NHAI, the committee insists that claims of mitigation, such as box culverts, require verification, as photographic evidence suggests continued obstruction of natural drainage in the Dhadhar floodplains. A superimposed floodplain-land parcel map, deemed essential for regulating development, is still pending.

The report’s most forceful recommendations target governance. It calls for the creation of a semi-statutory, state-level Vishwamitri-Dhadhar Watershed Authority with multidisciplinary expertise. Crucially, it demands an end to the ad-hoc approach and excessive outsourcing, insisting that the VMC and other authorities must urgently recruit qualified professionals—including ecologists, landscape architects, and environmental planners—to manage the complex process internally. "Without this, the vision of rejuvenating the Vishwamitri River to address flooding and waterlogging, in letter and spirit, will remain as wishful thinking," the report states.

The committee has laid out a comprehensive ten-point framework for a true action plan, covering everything from scientific C&D waste recycling and phasing out encroachments to aquifer mapping and a dedicated five-year biodiversity plan with measurable ecological indicators. They have requested at least one more month to submit their fifth report, which will include detailed assessments of sewage treatment plants and the finalized C&D waste action plan. 

The fate of the Vishwamitri, a river that sustains a unique urban ecosystem, now hinges on whether the authorities heed this call for a fundamental course correction.