From 2022-23 Gram Sewa Samiti, in association with Gandhi Sumiran Manch,Vidisha and many other like minded organisations and Nature and environment loving people across the country, is carrying forward the challenging mission of Betwa River’s Conservation Program. In February/ March 2023, we led the Betwa River’s Study and Awareness March of approximately two hundred kilometres along the bank of Betwa river. During this campaign hundreds of river lovers joined us in systematic study of the various pollutants of Betwa river and creating mass awareness among the residents of villages, towns and cities located on the banks of Betwa.
In Betwa mission our prime focus is to engage youngsters and school and college students, who can pay bigger role in saving the rivers. Many environmentalists from different parts of the country also participated in this mission so that on return to their native places they can also take up such study and awareness campaigns for the rivers of their areas.
In last week of May 2025, from 25th to 31st May, we have organised a massive seven days Shramdan Shivir, where more than hundred volunteers from Bhopal and neighbouring districts of Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Betul and Indore etc, under scorching Sun, worked hard with the villagers to construct 55 boulder’s check dams around Betwa river’s origin at Jhiri village , which is located approximately 15 kilometres from Bhopal. We are hopeful that our efforts can revive the Betwa river’s origin which has dried in 2024.
We have also started heavy plantations along the Betwa river and also providing saplings of fruit trees like Mango, Guava, Lemon and Kathal etc to the farmers to switch them over to horticulture by stopping the crops like wheat etc, which consume lots of water. It would help in raising the water table around the river basin. This is a long term project and we hope to see Betwa filled with clean water in couple of years.
