The ‘small’ river of India, which alive after 60 years! Why does its name come in UP-Uttarakhand debate?

Even today, in the minds of many people, the question is that which is the smallest river in Uttar Pradesh, and hardly anyone knows about it. The interesting thing is that when it comes to India’s smallest rivers, one name emerges at the top which is not from Uttar Pradesh, but of Rajasthan. This is ‘Arvari River’, which is famous for the story of its unique return. So let’s know about this river, and why it is in such discussion.

Arvari River: Unique story of Alwar in Rajasthan

The Arvari River, which is counted among the smallest rivers in India, flows in Alwar district of Rajasthan. Its total length is about 90 kilometers. But its specialty is not its length, but the story of its incredible ‘revival’. This river was dry for about 60 years! Yes, for the last six decades, it had no drops of water.

New life got from the hard work of the villagers

The credit for giving a new life to this river goes to the people of nearby villages who returned it with their will and traditional water conservation techniques. In this initiative, Rajendra Singh, also known as ‘Waterman of India’ (Jalpurush) and his ‘Tarun Bharat Sangh’ played an important role. The villagers together made many small check dams (Johar) and made tireless efforts to save the water.

The result of his hard work was that in 1999, about 60 years later, the Arvari River started flowing completely again. It is considered a huge success in the field of water conservation.

International identity and honor

The Arvari River was also awarded the ‘International River Prize’ in 2004 for this extraordinary work done under its revival and water conservation. This is a proof that if the community is united and by mixing traditional methods with science, environment and natural resources can be given life again.

Arvari River originates from the Aravalli hills located near Thanagazi tehsil of Alwar district and later joins the Ruparel River. Its revival teaches us how important even if small rivers are handled by community efforts, they can prove to be. This story is not only of a river, but also to keep pace with hope, dedication and nature.