A river again runs through UP's parched Jalaun

LUCKNOW: Farmers of Jalaun in UP’s parched Bundelkhand will not have to toil too much this season to get water for crops. They have almost revived an 81km-long local river that had dried up completely, four years after PM Modi extolled the mission in his Mann Ki Baat radio programme as a brilliant example of “people’s will doing wonders”.

Community members have restored the drainage basin over a 14km course of Noon river to create a funnel through which water has again entered it. The river had dried up to encroachments and poor rainfall.

The revival commenced in 2021 and reached the final stage only recently, with voluntary labour contributions from thousands of local men and women. Officials said the water would start flowing through the entire course of the river in a fortnight. The river is expected to help more than 15,350 farmers.

PM Modi had pointed out that the formation of a committee of thousands of villagers from various panchayats in Jalaun set the ball rolling for the river’s revival.

Noon meandered across 47 villages before merging with Yamuna on the other side of Jalaun. The river was earlier a key source of irrigation for agricultural fields spread over 2,780 hectares, as well as for animals looking for a waterbody in the dry region. But dwindling rainfall and sporadic construction activities changed the river’s contours, preventing water collected during the monsoon from funnelling down into the riverbed.

Jalaun DM Rajesh Kumar Pandey noted that local politicians, social workers, and professionals played a crucial role in the river’s revival. “Having realised the consequences of unplanned activity, they all were equally committed to removing the hurdles and roadblocks that stalled the progress,” said Pandey.