Planet Heroes: One man and a river

Sixteen years ago Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal decided to clean the Kali Bein riverbed next his village. His crazy plan was inspiring enough to turn this one-man army into a volunteering force and soon, the epic mission began. At the time, Baba didn’t think that his work would spread so far that he would lead a movement, which would give life to a 160-km stretch along the Kali Bein River, in Punjab... the state that sparked a food revolution.

Talking about his attachment with the river, he says that Guru Nanak had attained enlightenment after bathing in the Kali Bein, hence the river is of great historic importance to Sikhs. The river is also a lifeline for thousands of farmers.

The Baba also believed that rivers clean themselves, naturally. “Around 50 years ago all our rivers were clean. The problem started when humans started polluting them. Industrialisation, the use of fertilisers, the dumping of tonnes of sewage etc. has harmed rivers and turned them toxic. It has also polluted the groundwater,” he said.

In the last 16 years, he has educated thousands of people, especially in the villages of Punjab, on how to treat water and clean rivers.

The Kali Bein was then cleared of water hyacinth and silt, the banks were beautified, trees were planted along the banks and clear paths made. Sewage was diverted elsewhere and villagers were educated on the importance of clean water. Mind you, all the work was done in the most natural way as possible.

And as the riverbed cleared, natural springs sprouted again and the river started filling up. After more than six years of hard work later, the water finally became fit enough for use. The news of the river clean-up spread around the world and even Time magazine featured Balbir Singh as one of the ‘Heroes of Environment’, in 2008. His efforts are used as a case study worldwide.

But Eco Baba (as he is popularly known) takes pride in the simple things. For example, the fact that former President Dr Abdul Kalam visited the site twice, hailing his work as one of the country’s finest achievements is memorable for him.

Now the vast Ganges too is being cleaned in a similar manner and Baba wishes that not only the Ganga, but all rivers in India, and wherever possible in the world, should be cleaned in the same fashion.

He quotes a shlok from the Guru Granth Sahib which emphasises the importance of water: “Pavan guru, paani pitah, mata dharti manatu (wind is our guru/teacher, water is father and the Earth, the mother).” Balbir Singh also urges the future generation to know the importance of nature and respect the environment. He adds, “Pani hee jeevan hain (water is the life).” And says that if there’s no water there’s nothing left for mankind. And besides giving life to a dying river, Singh has also opened up a school, specifically for children from economically weaker backgrounds, who come to Punjab from Uttar Pradesh and Nepal. But it’s not just those. He’s encouraging tree planting, he also works at making paths, effective sewage systems and goes from village to village educating people about the environment. If you are looking for this weekend’s inspiration, look no further because thanks to Singh, 160 kilometres of river and people, have found peaceful co-existence.