Ramayan-fame Sai river needs a new lease of life

Manoj Kumar, a 35-year-old brick kiln owner, recalls how till 2006 he would drink water directly from the 'Jhabar' (pond) bordering his village. Ten years down the line, the water has been reduced to a trickle and is unfit for drinking, he says.

Popularly known as Sai, the river mentioned as ‘Adi Ganga’ (ancient Ganga) in Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, is today struggling for survival. It is drying up even at its source – a water table in Parsai, a village of 450 households in Hardoi, 180 km north of Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.

“We used to drink the water. But over the years, the river has dried up. We can’t even use this water to irrigate our farms,” says Kumar.

As the 2017 state assembly polls draw closer, Sai, like many rivers in the state, doesn’t seem to find a mention on the agenda of political parties.

A River dries up

Right from its origin at the sprawling pond on the hilltop, the river is like a stream for the next 25 km, till it reaches Rampur Koda village. Along its course, farming and constructions have encroached upon the catchment area, blocking the ground water source. Industrial effluents and domestic wastes make things worse.

“Tulsidas has mentioned the significance of this river in his works. Until 2005-06, its water used to irrigate crops up to 500 meters with the help of man-made trenches and over a km with pumps. Today, even farmlands close to the river have to use diesel pumps for irrigation,” says Sursen Pasi, an activist associated with ‘water man’ Rajender Singh.

Problems downstream

As the river flows downstream towards Lucknow, south of Hardoi district, unabated encroachments choke the ‘nullahs’ that add volume to the river enabling a better flow.

At Bani where the Sai bifurcates Lucknow and Unnao districts, shopkeeper Ram Vilas, 60, says the river used to be at its best during monsoons. But not any more.

“There has been insufficient rain. The water level has depleted, the nullahs blocked. Where will the water come from unless it is recharged?” asks Vilas.

After Hardoi, Unnao and Lucknow, the Sai flows through Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Jaunpur covering some 500 villages over a distance of 715 km before finally merging into the Gomti river at Jaunpur. The Gomti eventually joins the Ganga.

As it passes through six districts of UP, the Sai gets progressively polluted by the untreated municipal and industrial wastes it receives from the 200 drains along its course.

“Rivers that originate in a high water table area can survive for ages if man does not disturb them. If encroachments are removed and traditional groundwater sources start recharging it, the Sai can again become the lifeline for lakhs of people,” says Prof Vibhuti Rai, head of geology department, Lucknow University.

Not on political priority list

Unlike the Gomti, which is the lifeline of capital Lucknow, the Sai is clamouring for policymakers’ attention.

Recently, Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma and Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj visited the Jaleshwarnath temple on the river bank in Mohan town of Unnao.

“But no one spoke about the river’s revival. They have sanctioned money for beautifying the temple ghats overlooking the river,” says Guddan Nigam, a social activist.

“Sai is the lifeline of six districts... Unfortunately it is not in the priority list of the government at the centre that swears by rivers, among other things,” says Sunil Singh Sajan, a leader from Unnao and close aide of UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Fighting for survival

The last effort made to revive the dying river was in 2008 when water from the Sharda canal was released in the Sai at Bani on Lucknow’s outskirts.

“I was a sports minister in 2006 when some locals requested me to do something about the depleting water level. Some digging work had started but it halted midway. I am still trying to get it restarted,” says RK Chaudhary, a three-time MLA who quit the BSP in July this year.

For those dependent on the river for irrigation, live stock and drinking water, it’s a hopeless wait.

In Rae Bareli, the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Sai enters Pratapgarh at Ramnagar Kol village.

“Reviving rivers has never been on agenda of parties. Only a public movement can save it,” says Ashish Awasthi, a villager.

BJP’s Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj acknowledges the need for reviving the dying rivers of the region.

“I believe that for a clean Ganga, as envisioned by our prime minister, we need to first revive tributaries like Sai. The government is working on connecting all rivers so that the water level is revived. We hope to see some development with regard to Sai river soon,” he says.

Graphics by Harry Stevens and Anand Katakam. Web production by Gurman Bhatia.