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In Part I of this series, we showed you the importance of a clear definition for the Aravallis by taking you to the village of Deepawas in Rajasthan’s Sikar district, along the lively green banks of the clear Girjan river. 

In Part 2, we bring you what activists predict can happen to the Girjan if its fate flows along the same lines as that of the Kasawati river near Kotputli-Behror, just 20 km away. And why implementing existing regulations and protections are important for the Aravallis here.

Kotputli-Behror/Sikar (Rajasthan): A small trickle of water trudges courageously over brown-gray sands, under clumps of dusty phoenix trees and thorny scrub struggling to stay green. 

No bird song punctuates the scenery here, only the bellows of a stone crusher – loud, grating and constant.

Monochrome is the mood. Dust, fine and a shade of light pewter, hangs in the air. It is hard to breathe. Visibility is low — just about 20 metres or so. 

A trickle is all that remains near Neemod of the Kasawati, or Krishnavati river, in northeastern Rajasthan. On its left bank, a stone crusher operates in full swing. Photo: Aathira Perinchery/The Wire.

“This is the Kasawati river now,” Kailash Meena says, pointing to the water stuttering by. “It used to flow like the Girjan.”

The banks of the Kasawati river near Neemod in Sikar district in Rajasthan are a striking contrast to those of the Girjan at Deepawas, just about 20 km away. This is an example of what Deepawas could become – if illegal mining is allowed to flourish, Kailash says. 

The Kasawati, or the Krishnavati river, is a tributary of the Sahibi river and this makes it a part of the Ganga river basin. Running almost parallel to some stretches of the Kasawati is the Rajasthan State Highway 37B which connects Nim Ka Thana and Kotputli. Between the villages of Neemod and Dokan – a short seven km stretch – mining, stone crushing and........

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