Children playing in Sai at Mohan, near Lucknow. (Dheeraj Dhawan / Hindustan Times)

Manoj Kumar, a 35-year-old brick kiln owner, recalls how till 2006 he would drink water directly from the 'Jhabar' (pond) bordering his village. Ten years down the line, the water has been reduced to a trickle and is unfit for drinking, he says. Popularly known as Sai, the river mentioned as ‘Adi Ganga’ (ancient Ganga) in Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, is today struggling for survival. It is drying up even at its source – a water table in Parsai, a village of 450 households in Hardoi, 180 km north of Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. “We used to drink the water. But over the years, the river has dried up. We can’t even use this water to irrigate our farms,” says Kumar. As the 2017 state assembly polls draw closer, Sai, like many rivers in the state, doesn’t seem to find a mention on the agenda of political parties.

A River dries up Right from its origin at the sprawling pond on the hilltop, the river is like a stream for the next 25 km, till it reaches Rampur Koda village. Along its course, farming and constructions have encroached upon the catchment area, blocking the ground water source. Industrial effluents and domestic wastes make things worse. “Tulsidas has mentioned the significance of this river in his works. Until 2005-06, its water used to irrigate crops up to 500 meters with the help of man-made trenches and over a km with pumps. Today, even farmlands close to the river have to use diesel pumps for irrigation,” says Sursen Pasi, an activist associated with ‘water man’ Rajender Singh.

Sursen Pasi, at the origin of Sai in Parsai, village of 450 households in Hardoi. (Dheeraj Dhawan / Hindustan Times)

Problems downstream As the river flows downstream towards Lucknow, south of Hardoi district, unabated encroachments choke the ‘nullahs’ that add volume to the river enabling a better flow. At Bani where the Sai bifurcates Lucknow and Unnao districts, shopkeeper Ram Vilas, 60, says the river used to be at its best during monsoons. But not any more. “There has been insufficient rain. The water level has depleted, the nullahs blocked. Where will the water come from unless it is recharged?” asks Vilas. Uttar Pradesh has seen largest decrease in rainfall of any state Change in average annual rainfall (millileters) by state, 1951-2010 SOURCE: India Meteorological Department, State Level Climate Change Trends In India , 2013 After Hardoi, Unnao and Lucknow, the Sai flows through Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Jaunpur covering some 500 villages over a distance of 715 km before finally merging into the Gomti river at Jaunpur. The Gomti eventually joins the Ganga. As it passes through six districts of UP, the Sai gets progressively polluted by the untreated municipal and industrial wastes it receives from the 200 drains along its course. “Rivers that originate in a high water table area can survive for ages if man does not disturb them. If encroachments are removed and traditional groundwater sources start recharging it, the Sai can again become the lifeline for lakhs of people,” says Prof Vibhuti Rai, head of geology department, Lucknow University.

The river is almost dried up under this bridge on Lucknow Unnao road. (Dheeraj Dhawan / Hindustan Times)

Not on political priority list Unlike the Gomti, which is the lifeline of capital Lucknow, the Sai is clamouring for policymakers’ attention. Recently, Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma and Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj visited the Jaleshwarnath temple on the river bank in Mohan town of Unnao. “ Unlike the Gomti, which is the lifeline of capital Lucknow, the Sai is clamouring for policymakers’ attention. “But no one spoke about the river’s revival. They have sanctioned money for beautifying the temple ghats overlooking the river,” says Guddan Nigam, a social activist. “Sai is the lifeline of six districts... Unfortunately it is not in the priority list of the government at the centre that swears by rivers, among other things,” says Sunil Singh Sajan, a leader from Unnao and close aide of UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.