Citation :

Shibani Chourushi, "Sustainable River Management: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Natural Farming Practices in Reducing Pollution in Indian Rivers," International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 413-422, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I4P125

Abstract

One of the major environmental concerns related to river pollution is mainly caused by agricultural runoff carrying chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and excess nutrients. Also, traditional agricultural practices are one of the major contributors to river pollution, which has a potential impact on river ecosystems, human health, and future water availability. In recent times, Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), bio-inputs, organic manure application, and low chemical-dependent farming are some of the new agricultural practices being considered for river pollution control from an environmental perspective. In this context, this paper attempts to assess the effectiveness of natural farming practices on river pollution control by evaluating the pollution level of Indian rivers by analyzing the water quality parameters, including Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Nitrate Concentration, Phosphate Concentration, and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels, respectively. In this paper, a comparative assessment has been made between river stretches where traditional agricultural practices are prevalent and areas near river stretches where natural farming practices are being adopted. Based on the assessment made by analyzing the water quality parameters of river stretches where natural farming practices are prevalent, it has been found that there is a significant improvement in water quality parameters where natural farming is being adopted. However, there are certain limitations associated with natural farming practices being adopted at a large scale and difficulties faced while executing policies. It has been found that natural farming has a significant potential for river pollution control, but it needs to be supported at a large scale.

Keywords

Sustainable River Management, Natural Farming, Agricultural Runoff, Water Pollution, Indian Rivers, Nutrient Reduction.

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