What they found was a stark and chilling reminder of how one of the most holy rivers of India is being destroyed. In the 14 districts that they travelled through, towns and cities are emptying untreated sewage in to it and industries are pumping effluents even as deforestation in the surrounding Satpura and Vindhya ranges has dried up 60 of the 101 tributaries that used to feed the Narmada. Groundwater levels have fallen to lows of as much as 300ft or more in the vicinity, garbage lies piled in towns and riverbanks are encroached upon.

Unfettered mechanised sand mining is taking its toll throughout the nearly 1,100km length of the Narmada in MP. Several fish species, in cluding the mahaseer, are in terminal decline because of pollution and destruction of habitat.

"Even at the source, the Narmada kund, at Amarkantak, we found pipes dumping waste water into the river and people defecating on the opposite bank," Vinayak Parihar, a member of the team, told TOI. The trip was organised by Vichar Madhya Pradesh, a platform of small environmental and other rights groups. Almost none of the urban centres on the river's banks have sewage treatment plants (STP). Jabalpur, the biggest city on the Narmada, produces 200 million litres of sewage per day but treats only 0.55 MLD. One 50 MLD STP built near Kathauda village is non-functional.

Along the whole length, industrial units are seen discharging effluents into the river or its tributaries. In Jabalpur, a gelatin factory at LamhaitaGhat allows effluents to drain into the river, as do six sugar mills in Narsinghpur, the Suhagpur industrial belt in Hoshangabad, and several dozen big dairies.

The state pollution control board has filed cases against 18 municipal bodies located within 10 km of Narmada river, including the Jabalpur, Hoshangabad, Mandla, Dindori and Bhedaghat civic organisations.

Also on the mat are five industrial units, including the central government-owned Security Paper Mill, which is situated in Hoshangabad.The team found that small and big tributaries along the whole course of the river were in distress. All of them used to carry water all year round till about a decade ago. Now, nearly twothirds are dry, many lost forever.

"Heavy encroachment and sand mining has destroyed the channels while deforestation of surrounding forests has dried up the sources of water," Parihar explained.

Despite court orders prohibiting mechanised sand mining and mining from under running water, these practices are taking place openly.

In Hoshangabad, for example, there are only 11 approved sand mining sites but the team found mining taking place at 50 sites. At the lower end of the river, as it flows through Dewas and Khandwa, most tributaries are not flowing as water has backed up from the Indra Sagar Dam.

Parihar says that glitzy programmes involving senior politicians and film stars are of little use, as is giving the river a "living entity" status. Until the government seriously implements existing laws and involves people in this, Narmada will continue to die a thousand deaths.