Jojari River

Jojari River
View of Jodhpur, Airport, Jojari River, AGR., Roads, Urban Areas taken during ISS Expedition 43.
Location
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District	Jodhpur
Physical characteristics
Source	Hills near Poondloo village, Nagaur district
• coordinates	26°32′27″N 73°48′30″E / 26.540759°N 73.808330°E / 26.540759; 73.808330
Mouth	Converges with Luni River near Khejadla Khurd, Jodhpur district
Length	83 kilometres (52 mi)
Basin size	3,600 square kilometres (1,400 sq mi)
Depth
• average	5 metres (16 ft)
• maximum	10 metres (33 ft)

The Jojari River is a 83 km (52 mi) seasonal watercourse in Rajasthan, India. It primarily carries surplus rainwater from the hills near Poondloo village in Nagaur district. Flowing in a north-east to south-west direction, it gathers water from multiple smaller streams along its path, ultimately converging with the Luni River near Khejalda Khurd in Jodhpur district.^[1] This river is a tributary of Luni river.^[2]

This river has become heavily polluted due to inflow of industrial and domestic waste with toxic chemicals, including sulfur, lead, and cadmium, primarily from untreated effluents discharged by Boranada’s textile and chemical industries. Additional pollution from untreated sewage has further degraded water quality, rendering the river toxic, destroying ecosystems, and impacting the health and livelihoods of approximately 1.6 million people living along its banks.^[3][4]

In August 2025, a Jojri Bachao Andolan was led by the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party leader Hanuman Beniwal. This protest was done against the ongoing pollution due to untreated inflow of industrial waste with toxic chemicals in the river.^[5]

The river is severely polluted by untreated industrial waste from over 700 Boranada factories, releasing sulfur, lead, cadmium, and other chemicals. Untreated sewage from villages like Doli and Dhava adds to the contamination. The river’s toxic water has destroyed ecosystems, killed wildlife, and rendered 100-150 km of farmland barren, with a 2024 study detecting heavy metals like lead, and cadmium in food grains.^[6] Health issues, including respiratory and skin ailments, plague locals, and groundwater contamination threatens 1.6 million people. Villages like Melba face exodus due to unlivable conditions.^[7]

The Rajasthan government allocated ₹176 crore in 2025-26, following ₹400 crore in 2023 and ₹172.58 crore in 2024, but weak enforcement, misdirected funds, and political disputes have stalled progress. Despite NGT orders and 73 factory closures since 2019, illegal dumping persists. Geocycle’s 2024 cleanup plan lacks clear impact.^[8][9] As of 2025, the river remains toxic, requiring stricter regulations, upgraded treatment plants, and transparent fund use to restore it.^[10][11]

The villagers and social activists are protesting against the pollution crisis since many years.^[12]

The movement began on 11 August 2025 near Doli Toll Plaza in Balotra district, led by Rashtriya Loktantrik Party leader Than Singh Doli and villagers.^[13]

Participants, including local residents, farmers, and social activists, demanded action to prevent the discharge of industrial and chemical effluents from Jodhpur into the river, which they stated caused environmental damage and flooding of residential and agricultural areas.^[14][5]

Later, this protest got attention on social media with hastag #HanumanBachayegaJojri trended on the X platform (formerly twitter) on 12 August 2025.^[14]

Hanuman Beniwal led a rally on 17 August 2025, near the toll plaza close to Doli village in Balotra district, to protest against toxic industrial wastewater discharging into the Jojri river. The rally was organised under the banner Jojri Bachao Maharally.^[15][16]

Hanuman Beniwal said that:

This issue is not new, dirty water is reaching the houses here due to the neglect of governments for years. Chemical polluted water from the industrial units of Jodhpur and Pali has spread to about 50 villages including Doli, Araba, Kalyanpur, making the fields and land barren.