Sehore Siwan River: leaders daily watch the river's demise

At the Mahila Ghat, on the shores of the Sehore Siwan River in Sehore City, Santoshi diligently scoops out the filth on the surface the river with her bare hands. She then fills a bucket, as per her routine, and starts washing clothes. Santoshi, 60 years-old, recounts her childhood spent on this very ghat. She admits with some disappointment, that she has never seen the Siwan River clean.

Sehore city, located 35 kilometres away from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, struggles with the water crisis almost every year. During the assembly elections, MLA candidates have pledged to renovate the city's only river, Sivan. But after winning, no MLA or municipality president has been successful in changing the condition of this river. Till now many plans have been made to clean the Sehore Siwan River. However, days passed and the condition of the river remained the same like a dirty drain. When the Ground Report team saw the condition of this river, we discovered the area is not only polluted, but the river's catchment has significantly reduced due to surrounding encroachments.

The city of Sehore has developed on flat land on the banks of river Siwan. This river, which is a rainy river and a tributary of the Parvati River, divides the city into two parts. Lotiya Nala (drain), which collects the sewage of the city. Sehore City's sewage from gutters & drains and the rainwater meets the inner Sewan River through the Lotiya drain.

Sehore Siwan River limited in plans

Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), which was launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2015, a sewage treatment plant was started in Sehore. Its capacity is to treat 12 MLD sewage. This plant treats only 65% of the city's sewage. It was told that under AMRUT 2.0, another sewage treatment plant will be built in the city. That plant would treat the sewage of the rest of the city. However, currently, it means that almost 40% of the untreated sewage of Sehore City is polluting the water in the city. Siwan River is also suffering the consequences of this.

Santoshi says, that the people of the municipality never come to clean the river. No one even sweeps the bank. Although, when the rainwater pours, it washes away all the filth, and plastic.

Upon arriving at the Siwan ghat (located along the Sehore Siwan River), we noticed an abundance of puja material scattered across the river’s surface. This included mounds of Bhandara vegetables piled along the banks. Moreover, some young children were enjoying their afternoon swim, heedless of the dirt-laden water, and the adults indulged in their routine ablutions. Upon inquiring if one gentleman - freshly bathed from his recent dip - took such daily baths in 'this' water, he affirmed that he indeed did so.

City's Masterplan, but not for Siwan

The municipal office is located a mere 1 kilometre from the Siwan River. Maybe, the leaders, political representatives and officials observe the river's demise every day. Yet perplexingly, they appear inactive in the face of this degradation. It could be, that they find solace in the fact that the Masterplan 2031 aims to transform Sehore into a smart city. This master plan has some grand schemes for the river’s rejuvenation. The proposal outlines plans for a city forest, a garden, an amusement park, and tree-planting initiatives along the banks of the river and its branches to enhance its beauty. However, a striking omission from the master plan is the steps that will be implemented to purify and maintain the cleanliness of the Siwan River.

The existence of Sehore City can likely be attributed to the river that runs through it, as human civilization has historically flourished around such water bodies. However, in contemporary times, the river finds itself struggling to survive amidst urbanization, with no champions stepping up for its preservation and protection.

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