Thanks to the "Seechewal Model," clean water has started flowing in Budha Dariya after decades. Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, who has been striving to restore the purity of Budha Dariya, credited the success to the devotees and stated that this is a historic moment as clean water has started flowing in the river again after decades. Sant Seechewal mentioned that arrangements have been made to prevent dirty water from entering the river at various points up to Gurdwara Gaughat. The highest amount of waste was accumulating in the dariya, exceeding four feet in some areas. Along its banks, nearly 72 dairy farms were discharging their waste directly into the Budha Dariya. Over the past two and a half months, five villages have implemented the Seechewal Model in areas where waste was removed from the river. Notably, around 32 KM from Kumkalan Drain to Gurdwara Gaughat, clean water has now begun to flow into Budha Dariya, and the cleaning of the remaining sections continues.
Officials from the drainage department reported that initially, 100 cusecs of water were released into Budha Dariya, and since then, the flow has been increased by 20 cusecs daily. They further stated that within a few days, the river will carry a flow of 200 cusecs of water.
Seeing clean water reach Bhukhri Khurd after 35 years brought joy to the villagers. To celebrate, Sarpanch Satpal Singh, Nambardar Narinder Singh, and other villagers distributed porridge to mark the historic moment. Notably, in earlier times, when bore wells and motors were first activated, people would distribute porridge and remember Khwaja Pir as a tradition. Similarly, The villagers followed this same ancient custom.
Sarpanch Satpal Singh of Bhukhri Khurd stated that he never expected to witness such clean water in his lifetime. He described the sight as nothing less than a miracle. He emphasized that it is now everyone's responsibility to keep this river pollution-free. Jaswinder Singh, a resident of the same village, mentioned that earlier, clean water used to flow only up to Dhanansu village, as waste from dairy farms was being discharged in large quantities into Budha Dariya at Bhukhri Khurd.
This Miracle is Not the First of Its Kind: Kar Sewaks
Sewadars working at the riverbanks expressed their joy, stating that they had witnessed a similar miracle before. During the sacred Bein river's cleaning service, they had seen clean water flow after decades. Sewadar Hardeep Singh Teetu shared that earlier, Sant Seechewal Ji had started cleaning the Bein river from its source after constructing the Sultanpur Lodhi Ghat. Similarly, ghat construction is ongoing at Budha Dariya, and its cleaning efforts continue simultaneously.
Cabinet Minister Elated to See Clean Water Flowing in Budha Dariya
Hardeep Singh Mundiya, Cabinet Minister representing the Sahnewal Assembly constituency, congratulated environmentalist and Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal for the arrival of clean water in Budha Dariya. He noted that people had believed Budha Dariya could never be cleaned, but Sant Seechewal Ji has shattered this notion by proving that no task is impossible. Hardeep Singh Mundiya further stated that due to Sant Seechewal Ji’s efforts, the inflow of dirty water into Budha Dariya up to Gurdwara Gaughat has been stopped, and the remaining sections of the river will soon be cleaned.`