Good news for farmers in Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh! The Noon River, which had dried up due to encroachments and poor rainfall, has been successfully revived through a community-driven effort. Thousands of villagers worked together to restore the river’s drainage basin, allowing water to flow again after years of drought.
The revival project, which began in 2021, involved voluntary labor contributions from local residents, social workers, and professionals. The river, spanning 81 km, is expected to fully flow within the next two weeks, benefiting over 15,350 farmers by restoring irrigation and providing water for animals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had praised this initiative in his Mann Ki Baat program, highlighting it as a brilliant example of collective willpower.
The Noon River in Uttar Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region, which meanders through 47 villages before merging with the Yamuna, was once a vital irrigation source for 2,780 hectares of farmlandand provided water for animals in the arid region.
It has a long history of being a lifeline for farmers, but over time, it suffered from encroachments that blocked the river’s natural flow, and dwindling rainfall, leading to its complete drying up. Unchecked development, sporadic construction, and changing rainfall patterns altered its natural drainage system, preventing monsoon water from reaching the riverbed.
The riverbed became dry, leaving farmers struggling for irrigation and water supply. The situation became so dire that the river was considered lost, until a massive community-driven restoration effort began in 2021.
Thousands of villagers came together to restore the river’s drainage basin, creating a funnel for water flow.
This remarkable transformation has been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who highlighted it as an example of collective willpower in his Mann Ki Baat program.
It’s incredible to see how community action can bring back a lost river!