ALLAHABAD: After reviving and bringing Bakulahi river back to its natural course in Pratapgarh district, a batch of green crusaders from Sonvarsha, Ramgarh, Shankargarh and adjoining villages has planned to restore river Jwalamukhi in the hilly terrain of Ramgarh in Shankargrh block of Bara tehsil in the district.The course of the extinct river has been identified and efforts would focus on reviving scores of old dried up ponds that once fed the river before the arrival of monsoon.“We have sought help from the volunteers of Bakulahi River Rejuvenation Campaign (BRRC) to find out water resources (ancient ponds) in the hills of Shankargarh,” said a villager spearheading the campaign. In the next step, we will seek administration’s help also to revive and use the ponds as water reservoirs to feed the river, he added.Noted social activist and BRRC convener, Samaj Shekhar , told TOI that the villagers, with the help of campaign volunteers, have traced the remains of the ancient river Jwalamukhi’s origion near Ramgarh Dham . “The origin of the ancient river is surrounded by natural water resources that can help in restoring its flow,” he added.Shekhar said, “The villagers have made up their mind to restore all the natural resources of water in the region, and for that they would take up cleaning of ancient ponds from April 2 with the help of local administration.”“The administration will offer a helping hand to the villagers willing to restore old ponds and the ancient Jwalamukhi river in the area that often faces water crisis during summers,” said SDM Bara Raj Kumar Dwivedi.Villagers, meanwhile, claimed that the ancient pond near Ramgarh Dham, which is the main source of water for them, too dries up in summers.Samaj Shekhar said that he and a local activist, Ram Bhawan Singh, had started a journey to trace ancient water resources in the region about four months back. They had held meetings with the villagers and panchayat representatives to make their endeavour successful.“Villagers of the area have even formed an organization Ramgarh Vikas Samiti , which would hold its first meeting on April 2 to chalk out a strategy for restoring the ancient river and ponds,” he informed TOI.“The villagers said that though there were some old wells in the area, it was not an easy task to take out water from it. Despite a couple of hand pumps, most of the villagers rely on wells or old ponds for their daily need of water. Women have to travel at least a couple of kilometres to fetch water,” said a villager, Radhe.Shekhar said 1961 revenue records had mentioned the existence of Jwalamukhi river. The Allahabad Gazetteer published in 1966 too had confirmed the existence of the river. As per records, the river exited from hilly area of Ramgarh which was surrounded by dense forests. During the rainy season, the entire rain water was absorbed by the jungle and hilly area which fed the small river.Two years back, the volunteers had brought Bakulahi river on its natural course on the border of Allahabad and Pratapgarh district. Now these volunteers, after studying about the existence of Jwalamukhi river, have decided to restore it as soon as possible.On Thursday, villagers of more than half a dozen villages have joined hands for the campaign who would be taking up ponds cleaning prorgamme from Sunday.