
In the serene village of Anuradhapura, where ancient ruins whisper tales of bygone eras, the Mahaweli River flows gracefully, winding its way through the lush landscapes of Sri Lanka. As the longest river in the country, the Mahaweli River has been a vital source of life for centuries, nurturing the land and its people. Each morning, farmers rise with the sun, their hearts filled with gratitude as they greet the cool, refreshing waters that nourish their paddy fields. The river’s gentle embrace irrigates the crops that feed families and sustain entire communities, a lifeline that has supported generations. Fishermen cast their nets into the sparkling waters, drawing from the river’s bounty, while children laugh and play along its banks, their innocence untouched by the challenges that loom ahead. The Mahaweli River has witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms, the ebb and flow of human history, and yet, today, it faces unprecedented threats from pollution, climate change, and over-exploitation.
This story of the Mahaweli River mirrors that of rivers across the globe, and it’s a story we must all take note of. That’s why, on the fourth Sunday of every September, millions of people around the world gather to celebrate World Rivers Day, a day dedicated to appreciating and protecting the rivers that sustain us all.
Rivers are the Earth’s lifelines, weaving through landscapes like intricate threads of a vast tapestry. From their humble beginnings as mountain springs or glacial melt, they embark on epic journeys, sculpting valleys and crafting deltas along the way. This ceaseless flow is not just a spectacle but a symphony of nature’s processes. Rivers transport a dynamic mix of water, sediments, and nutrients, orchestrating the natural cycles that nourish ecosystems. Their steady rhythm shapes the land and influences global climates, while scientists decode their secrets through sophisticated monitoring techniques, revealing the complex dance of erosion, deposition, and nutrient distribution that underpins their ecological role.

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Rivers are not just watery pathways; they are veins of a planet that are equally important to nature as they are to mankind. The banks of rivers hold diverse ecosystems and are a haven for flora and fauna that grow there and thrive in the unique embrace of rivers. For human beings, rivers are the source of life-basically supplying freshwater used for drinking, agriculture, and industry. They cut routes for trade and traveling, produce pleasures for recreation, and wind through our cultural and historical traditions as threads in some grand tapestry. The Amazon River helps with the regulation of the global climate, while the Nile was the cradle of Egyptian civilization literally for millennia. The Mahaweli, Kelani, and Kalu rivers – lifeblood rivers in Sri Lanka – course through the island’s rich biodiversity and agriculture. Every river has its own story of sustenance, connectivity, and heritage, and its preservation is protection of the balance of life while nurturing its traditions and economies.

World Rivers Day is a global celebration dedicated to the world’s waterways, established in 2005 by renowned river advocate Mark Angelo. This day serves to raise awareness about the critical importance of rivers, educate the public on the myriad threats they face, and inspire collective action for their protection. The theme for World Rivers Day 2024 is “Waterways of Life”. This theme is centered on the importance of rivers for sustaining ecosystems, wildlife, agriculture, and human communities. There is nothing more descriptive of rivers being the lifeblood of our earth than the image of these natural resources majestically flowing from high mountains to expansive seas, nurturing varied ecosystems in their natural glory, thus humbly nourishing human civilizations along their banks. The world would just not have been anything near its present form had the rivers not been there to start with; simply because they form part of life itself.
Our rivers, the lifeblood of our planet, are facing a dire crisis because of pollution and eutrophication. This means that industrial wastes, agricultural runoff, and even untreated sewage release a dangerous mixture of chemicals and pathogens into rivers. Further, contamination reflects poor water quality that degrades aquatic habitats and puts fish and other wildlife in peril. Meanwhile, excess doses of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers promote eutrophication, the uninhibited growth of algae. This forms mats on the water’s surface, which block sunlight and create oxygen-starved “dead zones” below it. The lack of oxygen suppresses life, hence crippling entire ecosystems. All these factors, in conjunction, disturb the already fragile ecological balance of rivers and, for the same reason, there should be an urgent need for comprehensive strategies in pollution management and nutrient control to revive vitality and resilience in these vital waterways.
Take, for instance, China’s Yangtze River, whose waters have become so polluted that they are no longer fit for human consumption; the once teeming life of this river, including the abundant Yangtze River dolphin, has been driven to extinction. India’s Ganges River, held by millions to be a sacred body of water, is heavily polluted with industrial wastes and untreated sewage, serving as a hazardous health threat to untold numbers of communities. Around the world, destruction is being caused by the disruption of natural river flows due to dams and diversions that degrade water quality, erase biodiversity, and displace people. The Colorado River, once a powerful waterway now often fails to reach the sea because of over-extraction of water. Similarly, the Indus River in Pakistan, which is relied upon by a million of people depend on as some sort of lifeline, is under severe shortages exacerbated by overuse and climate shifts. These examples highlight the pressing need for immediate action. World Rivers Day presents another golden opportunity to raise awareness of these challenges and mobilize global and local efforts towards the restoration of our rivers.

But amidst those daunting challenges, there is also extraordinary hope and recovery. The most astonishing story of transformation is found in London’s Thames River. Once declared “biologically dead” in the 1950s due to severe pollution, the River Thames today has seen an astonishing revival. Tight controls on pollution and passionate community campaigns to clean it up have turned this historic waterway into a teeming life source, home to over 125 species of fish and bustling with biodiversity.

Serious local conservators all over the world are making huge impacts in the reduction of river pollution. Such grassroots actions, through raising awareness and championing better ways of managing waste, resuscitate rivers that once stood at the brink of disaster. These stories of success have an important message: with our joint action and firm commitment, restoration of our rivers not only may occur but is already underway.
World Rivers Day calls for action across the globe on this day, inviting people from every corner to be involved in activities regarding caring and restoring our rivers. The days are marked by clean-ups along the riverbanks, planting trees along river catchments, educational workshops, among others. It encourages the people of local communities to take part in activities like cleaning up the river near their village, or working together with any other environmental group to preserve the river.

But all that difference-making did not stop there; each one of us could make a difference in taking care of our waterways. These include minimal water waste, proper waste management, and the use of environmentally friendly products which do not harm our rivers. But one can still be able to do something by advocacy of much better environmental laws and policies and support any group or organization working on river protection. Together, these threads create a fabric of resilience and renewal for our priceless waterways.
On this World Rivers Day, let us reflect that rivers are not just waterways but the heartbeat of our planet, pulsating with life and history. These enormous veins of Earth feed every nook and corner of our ecosystems, support innumerable communities, and carry the ancient legacies of the lands they traverse. Their fates are in our hands. This work calls for tireless education, considered conservation, and effective management to protect their beauty for generations to come. This day reminds us with poignancy that the health of our rivers is indivisible from the fate of our world. We do not save them as a duty to the environment; we do so out of a vital human duty. Their continuity in grace and vitality is ensured, kept fresh by those who depend on them and enriching the intricate tapestry of life on our planet.

Written by:
S.A. Lohini Lenmini,
1st Year Undergraduate,
Biological Science,
Faculty of Science,
University of Colombo.
References:
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). River. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.britannica.com/science/river
- Care Our Earth. (n.d.). World Rivers Day. Care Our Earth. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.careourearth.com/world-rivers-day/
- International Days. (n.d.). World Rivers Day. International Days. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.internationaldays.org/september/world-rivers-day
- Caixin Global. (2018, July 21). What killed the Yangtze River? Caixin Global. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://tinyurl.com/4xjca9wy
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. (n.d.). Ganges River. In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Ganges-River
- Jacobs, C. (2023, September 15). From biologically dead to chart-toppingly clean: How the Thames made an extraordinary recovery over 60 years. The Conversation. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://theconversation.com/from-biologically-dead-to-chart-toppingly-clean-how-the-thames-made-an-extraordinary-recovery-over-60-years-180895
- Cumming-Bruce, N. (2022, June 5). Climate change and overuse is threatening Pakistan’s main waterway. NPR. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.npr.org/2022/06/05/1103144977/climate-change-and-overuse-is-threatening-pakistans-main-waterway
- Buckley, J. (2022, August 9). The alarming reasons why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. IFLScience. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.iflscience.com/the-alarming-reasons-why-the-colorado-river-no-longer-reaches-the-sea-73612
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