Officer who gave new life to a river in peril

Moved by its plight, Manish Bansal decided to revive Sot river. With Namita Bajpai, the IAS officer recounts how he spearheaded the initiative

- Namita Bajpai

OT, the river that served as the lifeline of the Sambhal district of western UP, had dried up and was left to wither away until IAS officer Manish Bansal noticed the 110-km dried river bed and took on the responsibility of reviving it. He accomplished his mission within six months as district magistrate (DM) of Sambhal.

Now, Sot has a live stream with a natural flow that minimizes waterlogging in the area. Till half a century ago, Sot, covering 70-odd gram panchayats across five development blocks, was a bubbling tributary of the mighty Ganges, providing adequate water to the region's farmers for irrigation.

With time, it disappeared, leaving hardly any trace on the ground, thanks to the large-scale encroachment and massive neglect.