Dravyavati – A Dead River Revived in Jaipur

A river once flowed through the impassable hills of the Nahargarh aranya (forest) in Jaipur, the cultural capital of the nation. When the Athuniya Dam built upon it overflowed, cascades would burst forth across the picturesque Amer hills. While founding Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh cut through the Harmada hill to channel waters from the Bandi river into the Dravyavati. To impound the boundless waters of the dense Nahargarh hills, Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur constructed a dam over it 200 years ago. Falling from waterfalls, this water first filled a 200-foot-deep kunda (reservoir), and then, flowing in the 50-km-long current of the Dravyavati, traversed the entire city to merge into the Dhund river. The pristine stream of the Dravyavati flowed all twelve months of the year. The city's subterranean water table remained brimming. The Nahargarh hills stayed verdant throughout the year, and no living creature went thirsty. Truly, it was because it was replete with dravya (precious liquid/wealth) that this river was named Dravyavati.

Yet, numerous dams from the princely era breached during the catastrophic floods of July 1981, and from that time onward, no one cared to tend to them. Due to the egregious neglect of the water sector by successive Congress governments since 1947, all the embankments of the Dravyavati gave way during the flood, and the river assumed a ferocious form. Even after the flood, through mismanagement, neglect, and corruption under Congress governments, a living river was transformed into a filthy sewer, losing its very name to become known as the "Amanishah Nullah". The river that was once the adornment of the city, whose offshoot canals supplied water to every household in Jaipur, had now turned into the foul, sludge-choked Amanishah Nullah—a blemish disfiguring the beautiful city of Jaipur.

Over all these years, despite countless court rulings, reports of numerous committees, the concerns of environmentalists, and the woes of the city, the Congress did not deem it fit even to pay heed, and the river basin became a hotbed of rampant encroachments, squalor, refuse, stench, and desolation. All of Jaipur's refuse, dozens of drains, and effluents ranging from abattoirs to chemical factories emptied into the Amanishah Nullah. Passing anywhere near the Amanishah Nullah required holding a handkerchief to one's nose. There came a time when the city entirely forgot that a river named Dravyavati even flowed through Jaipur. Such was the state of affairs that one channel of the Amanishah Nullah had formally acquired the moniker "Ganda Nullah" (filthy drain).

However, following the 2013 elections, Smt. Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan’s BJP government, resolved to redeem this derelict river of Jaipur. After a comprehensive assessment of the river basin, the Dravyavati Rejuvenation Project was awarded to the Tata Group in 2015. Revitalization of the river's 47-km course commenced on a war footing. Today, with over 90 percent of the work completed, the Dravyavati River has regained its magnificent form. The dream of thousands of environmentalists who struggled for decades to revive the Dravyavati has materialized. A 16-km stretch of the Dravyavati Riverfront has been inaugurated by the BJP government, while the remaining final phase of the work is slated for completion in merely a few months.

Developed at a cost of 1,676 crore rupees, the Dravyavati Project has been modelled along the lines of the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Five STPs have been installed to provide clean water, through which 17 crore litres of treated water will be discharged into the river daily. In addition, nearly 20,000 trees have been planted on both banks along the 47-km length of the river. A 40-km track has been constructed for jogging and cycling, which will enhance the city's environment. Boating facilities will also be introduced on the river. All encroachments that had accumulated across the river basin over decades have been cleared, fully securing both the ancient floodway and the 1981 flood discharge zone so that Jaipur can withstand even the most severe deluge. The foul Amanishah Nullah, once a stain upon Jaipur, has now, as the Dravyavati River, added immense lustre to the city's grandeur.

In the past 4 years, numerous developmental works have been undertaken in Jaipur, among which the revival of the Dravyavati River stands as a historic achievement. Under successive Congress regimes, this foul nullah had become a curse upon Jaipur. Yet through the political will of the BJP, it has been transformed into a pristine river. For these and many such reasons, the residents of Jaipur will prefer to press the button for the Lotus.

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