Adan River

The Adan River is a major tributary of the Painganga River. Its course runs through Maharashtra. This River is home to about 43 breeds of fishes. Some of them are Hamilton, Day and Sylus. Even the endangered Mahseer is found here. The river has many dams built across it. One of these dams is at its source near the village Sonala, and another famous dam across this river is near the city of Kanjana (Lad), both of which are in the district of Washim.

The dams, however, pose to be a problem for the fishermen and the ecology of the catchment area as well as the aquatic life of the river. Since the dams are causing heavy siltation and creating obstructions and alterations to the natural course of the river, the low level of water in the lower course of the river has a negative effect on the fishes due to hydrophytes. As a result, the fishing is no longer a favourable means of livelihood to the people who once depended on the fish of this river. People are not allowed to fish in spread areas of the dams. Anglers cannot access the upper portion of the river. There are floods when the dams release water. In summer, the river gets dried. There is a lot of unrest among the people of the catchment areas of the river regarding the dams. Some of the fishing communities of this region are Bhoi, Gillelege, Cullercoats, Hovden, Polperro, and Kolis among many others. Bhoi community is primarily dependent on the Adan. Some of the traditional fishing tackles used by them are: Garri or baited hooks, used by children to catch dead fish or worms, Ghan Bhor Jar or small cast nets, Motha bhor jar or large cast nets, pelni, an instrument made with a mesh attached to a triangle made of bamboo, used to catch shoal from flowing water, and Atki or Gill net, made of synthetic fiber to provide a passive way of fishing. But, with the depleting of fishes, the fishermen are taking up some desperate means of fishing such as poison and electric currents. The river, used to dry up in summers, but, a small team from Vidarbha region in Maharashtra started the Adan River Restoration. Districts like Bhandara from Vidarbha have community tanks supplying water to farms and villages. These are managed by local communities, with no adherence to the principles of ‘Integrated Water Resource Management’. The Samvardhan Team, founded by Dr. Nilesh Heda along with Adv. Sumant Bandale, Adv. Radhika Sone and  Kaustubh Pandharipande, makes the fishermen realize that they have their rights on the river, and that the villagers have a legal right over their forest resources. The Bhois have formed fisheries cooperative with 450 members.

Course

The Adan originates at 77022’ E Longitude and 20017’ N Latitude, in the Washim District of Maharashtra. It flows in a curve along north, east and south through Washim and Yavatmal districts. It then meets the Painganga River at 78021’ E longitude and 1909’N latitude, near Andhra Pradesh. This 209.21 km long river flows through agricultural landscapes in dry deciduous forest of degraded types, through scrublands and through the Blackbuck Sanctuary established recently. It dries up in summer but leaves behind small pools in the lower course. Cities located in its catchment area are Arani, Bori,Karanja, and Injori. The valley of the river varies between 20 km and 22 km. on an average.  The river bed is narrow at some places, while it is very wide at other parts. The widest part of the river bed is near Pahur Naskari.

Tributaries

The River Arunavati Is a right bank tributary of this river. It rises at 20°1'46"N latitude and 78°4'59"E longitude, and meets Adan at about 13 kilometers before it confluences with the Painganga. The Arunavati is one of the major tributaries of the Painganga. It runs across Darwha and certain parts of Kelapur. It flows for about 113 km. A taluk headquarters called Arni is located on the bank of the Arunavati River. The Arunavati Dam near Digras in the district of Yavatmal, Maharashtra, is on this river.

Photo Gallery