River Saraswati that holds great historical and religious importance for the Indians since the time of the Rig Vedas has made it to the tabloids once again. As we know, the river has always been a centre of attraction for archaeologists and geologists because of its mysterious origin. However, if the historians are to be believed, the Saraswati River is said to pass through Rajasthan’s major cities and districts.
A survey conducted between 1996 to 2004 reveals that the now vanished river once flowed through Tibbi, Pilibanga, Hanumangarh, Anupgarh, Suratgarh, Munabao, Tanot and Barmer border before vanishing into the Rann of Kutch. Considering the historical importance of the river, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje has sketched out a detailed plan for tracing the course of the river. The government aims to rejuvenate the river and use it for religious, commercial, tourism and irrigation purposes. A detailed plan regarding this has already been forwarded to the Centre—a fact that was informed by Rajasthan PHED minister Surendra Goyal yesterday. During the question hour, Mr. Goyal briefed the house regarding this ambitious project. According to Mr. Goyal, they’ve demanded Rs. 68.87 crores from the centre.
Why does Rajasthan Govt. Wants to Invest in Saraswati River?
It’s a well-known fact that water scarcity is a major problem in Rajasthan. 194 out of 295 blocks in Rajasthan are dark zones. Out of these, there are 10 critical and 38 semi-critical zones in course of river Saraswati. Mr. Goyal informed the house that categorization of these blocks is done on the basis of surveys conducted by the government between, May 15 to June 15 and October 15 to November 15. Since, most of the dark blocks fall into the course of Saraswati River, if the government is able to trace the course of river, it’ll help address water scarcity issues in Rajasthan.
Though the opposition believes it’s a waste of time, efforts and money, the ruling BJP government is positive that it’ll help address water crisis in Barmer. Since it’s impractical to transport water across large distances within Rajasthan, finding the river and utilizing its water seems a more practical option for them.
