Harmu River's Long-Lost Glory Sparks Fresh Calls for Revival

Once a sparkling stream where children bathed, families picnicked, and devotees gathered during Chhath Puja, the Harmu River now lies gasping under layers of filth and neglect.

- Raj Kumar

RANCHI: Stretching 17.8 km through the heart of Ranchi, the river that once cradled the city's soul has today become a shadow of its past.

The river, which originates from Nagri and flows into the Subarnarekha River, passing through Hehal, Bajra, Harmu, Hindpiri, Doranda, Chutia, and other localities in the heart of the city, appears black and emits a foul odour throughout the year, except during the rainy season, due to sewage discharge and garbage dumping.

A 50-year-old tribal resident, Aghan Oraon, told Hindustan Times at the riverbank in Kadru, "When I was a schoolboy, I used to drink water from the Harmu River after filtering it with clean sand available beside it. Now this is not possible. Forget human beings, it's not even fit for animals. Mosquitoes and other insects breed in the river water, making lives miserable. People living near the river often fall ill, though they recover soon. One has to cross the river while holding their nose," he said.

Paulin Tirkey (55) echoed Oraon, saying the condition of the river water started deteriorating as private residential colonies developed, and developers never cared for the conservation of natural resources.

"Bada bada colony ban gelak, aur colony ke ganda pani nadi mein aave laglak (Many colonies came up, and their dirty water started flowing into the river). Je colony banalain, nadi le nai soch lain (Those who developed the colonies never thought about the river's existence)," Tirkey said in his native Sadri dialect.