For decades, the Sot river – a tributary of the mighty Ganges – was the lifeline for the residents of Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh.

The river flows through 71 gram panchayats in five development blocks. However, owing to large-scale encroachment and neglect, it disappeared from the district.

In 2022, when district magistrate Manish Bansal visited the area, he found that the river was “practically non-existent”. In some places, only small puddles remained.

“The river was encroached to the extent that it lost its path of natural flow downstream. Due to this, nearby areas would remain waterlogged during monsoon. Earlier, the Sot river acted as a natural drainage system for the area,” he adds.

The groundwater table had also drastically reduced in the area as farmers became dependent on borewells, which further exacerbated the water problem in the region.

Manish found that the Sot river was actually a 110 km-long stretch, starting from the Amroha district in the north and flowing towards Budaun in the south.

The administration first conducted a survey to understand the natural alignment of the river.

This was followed by the physical demarcation of the region to learn about the length and breadth of the river. The third step was to clear the illegal encroachments.

The project, which began in December 2022, was completed in just six months by June 2023. During the last monsoon, the river was revived to its former glory.

The region was also free from waterlogging. Later, 10,000 bamboo saplings were planted along the riverbank to prevent soil erosion.

After the project’s completion, it was observed that the seasonal Sot river received ample water during the monsoon and remained rejuvenated for the next 2.5 months.

Manish says this project is extremely close to his heart, as such initiatives often take a backseat amid routine work. “But if we don’t rejuvenate these rivers, people will face the brunt of a water crisis,” he shares.

Manish also believes the administration can only facilitate, but it is only when the community becomes the protector of its rivers that they can remain rejuvenated.