Stenosed River Case Study

Stenosed River- The Coronary Artery Angina: Restoring Flow into Earth’s Arteries

Dr. Sudha Sehgal, M.D.

The human body and the earth’s ecological systems have many things in common and are often compared and correlated in many theories and articles. Human body consists 75% of water, similarly, water makes 75% of the Earth. Many of the earth’s sustenance systems work in the same ways as different anatomical systems that make human body function. In this article the author shows a correlation between human vascular system and the river networks. Rivers are like drainage systems or water pipes which can be twisted/ tunnelled to suit their unlimited needs. Comparing ecological problems related to rivers and the anatomical conditions known as “stenosis”

The water in rivers flow with a high velocity in the mountains and the velocity drops at its mouth where the river meets the sea. While flowing the river transport/ exchange dissolved minerals and nutrients with surrounding environment and the amount of water flowing in a river depends on the nature of its catchment. Both human vascular system and rivers exhibit different velocity gradients responsible for system diversity. In case of rivers the ecological diversity is directly proportional to different velocity gradients. High flows are important for channel maintenance, bird breeding, algae control, wetland flooding and maintenance of riparian vegetation. Moderate flows are critical for organic matter from river banks and for fish migration, while low flows are critical for fish spawning, water quality maintenance, the use of the river by local people,

As canopies open in larger streams, grazers become common with increased periphyton production. And with less canopy cover in wider streams, shredder abundance is reduced. Collectors utilize particles in streams of all sizes, but they dominate benthic communities in larger streams.

Pathology of River and Human Vascular System

Like the arteries, rivers get blocked due to deposition of unwanted pollutants. As the arteries are lifeline of human body, rivers are lifeline of a nation and once the rivers dry up a nation may face many problems. Altering river flow modifies river channels, sediment characteristics, biological communities and its flood plain habitat. When a river is obstructed by trees or firm lands it causes the rivers to bend and find another path. Thus any external perturbation in the river changes the course of rivers.

Management of compromised Coronary