Small rivers being revived under ‘One district-One River’ campaign: Govt

Lucknow: The state govt through the ‘One district-One River’ campaign aims to clean rivers, revive disappearing water streams and bring positive changes to the rural economy and ecological system, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

He further said that a transformative initiative for the restoration of small rivers across the state was launched under the Swachh Ganga Mission, the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department, along with several other departments.

In Pilibhit, the Gomti river was restored across a 47-km stretch covering 16 gram panchayats. In many places, the canal was widened and deepened. Along with this, the restoration of 23 ponds and construction of ghats helped the river regain its continuous flow.

The initiative, the spokesperson said, generated more than 1.53 lakh human-days of employment, while over 500 farmers adopted natural farming methods.

Likewise in Bulandshahr, the Neem river was restored across 29 kms through the ‘VB-G RAM G’ initiative. Farmers also voluntarily supported the campaign. PM Narendra Modi appreciated this initiative in ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

Similarly, the Karwan river and Kali river were also restored, where desilting, plantation drives and community participation across dozens of gram panchayats helped revive irrigation, biodiversity and cultural practices at the ghats.

The Sot river in Sambhal, which was reduced to a small drain, was revived through public participation. In Rampur, three seasonal streams, Revati, Nahal and Neeli, were rejuvenated through various measures.

Rajya Swachh Ganga Mission Project director Joginder Singh said that excellent results emerged from the restoration of small rivers in Uttar Pradesh. These rivers, which had nearly disappeared, are now returning to their original form.