The Subernarekha, Singhbhum region’s lifeline river, is in peril. Stagnant water has again resulted in mushrooming of water hyacinth near the downstream Mango bridge.

The menace of water hyacinth, a free-floating aquatic plant and algae, is an indication of rising pollution in the river water. Algae is also found in some stretches of the river.

Regional officer of Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) Suresh Paswan said the hyacinth are multiplying fast on the surface because the flow of the river has weakened. “In peak summer the situation will aggravate,” he said.

Last year too the hyacinth had smothered the flow of the river.

“Hyacinth prevent penetration of sunrays into the water which is harmful for fish and other aquatic animals.

“They threaten human life too by helping in vector breeding,' said a scientific officer of the state pollution control board.

Regular streaming of domestic and agricultural waste into the river is the root of the problem.

“Stagnation caused by such waste is largely responsible for growth of water hyacinth,” said a member of Yugantar Bharti, an environment outfit.

He went on to say that as hyacinth are spreading at an alarming rate water from the Chandil reservoir and the check dam at Mango should be released into the Subernarekha at regular intervals to prevent stagnation.

Apart from downstream Mango bridge, water hyacinth have also started mushrooming in some stretches of the Kharkai river, which joins the Subernarekha at Domuhani in Sonari.