The rebirth of Arvari River

An article by ‘Waterman of India’ Rajendra Singh

From 1985 onwards we have been helping people to build Johads. These Johads are traditional earthen dams. These small scales, low cost structures do not look like very much, but taken together in hundreds and thousands they have changed the face of our part of India (Rajasthan). TBS has helped people to build more than 9,000 Johads, Check Dams, and Anicuts for Harvesting the Rain Water. In 1996 we were amazed to find Arvari River flowing even at the peak of summer.

Since then four more rivers, Sarsa, Ruparel, Bhagani and Jahajwali have become perennial. When there was plenty of water in Arvari, there was natural growth of fish, which went on multiplying. Seeing that the government wanted to get hold of fish and brought in a contractor. The people resisted and the Government had to cancel the contract. It is not that the local people wanted control over the fish. Far from it. They are all vegetarians and do not eat fish, but they realized that today, it was fish tomorrow it would be water.

Since the 1940s, the Arvari River had been degraded to a mere monsoon drain, witnessing only brief and strong flows of muddy water. We had been building these structures over the years without realizing that we were in fact recharging the river through percolation underground. Now the water is clear and shows gently throughout the year.

The government through the contractor was intruding into community’s domain, its right over the use of water. Water as a resource was developed by them and they wanted to have full control over it. If they had allowed that intrusion to succeed, the leadership would have failed the community to protect its right over water. But since they resisted and won, one can see the shift in the centre of power as far as control over use of Arvari water is concerned.

Then there was fear that intrusion having taken place once could take place again. Besides, there were differences over sharing of Arvari waters within the community. This led to the formation of Arvari Sansad (Parliament) representing 72 villages and it has framed 11 rules for use of Arvari water. This Parliament meets 2 times a year. In this example, you see community leadership in action in protecting a resource.

• First people work on their priority i.e. water, and develop this resource through rainwater harvesting
• Second when resource is fully developed there is an intrusion to demolish the concept of people’s right over water.
• Third community puts up a strong resistance and removes intrusion.
• Fourth community consolidates and takes responsibility. It gets a mandate from 72 Villages

Finally a lesson the Community initiated work unites people and builds bonds of cooperation between different constituent groups. The restoration of the river Arvari to life is also the story of various watersheds linked to each other. Contrary to the impractical engineer’s dream (or nightmare?) of interlinking of rivers” (current project of massive inter-basin water transfer), it is a logical conclusion of decades of water conservation work by the people, and a practical and efficient step towards retrieving the link between the people and their river in a meaningful and useful manner.

The Arvari river is the lifeline of prosperity for 72 villages situated along its bank, and the Arvari River Parliament acknowledges this fact and just draws the logical conclusion. This river has to be taken care of, in a civilized, concerted and responsible manner. (The writer is a well-known water conservationist from Alwar district in Rajasthan. He won several awards like Stockholm Water Prize, which is known as "the Nobel Prize for Water," in 2015. Previously, he also won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership in 2001 for his pioneering work in community-based efforts in water harvesting and water management. He runs an NGO called 'Tarun Bharat Sangh.')

By Rajendra Singh