Jodhpur, Aug 8 (PTI) The rain, a flowing river and the desert. A rare trifecta celebrated by locals in the arid land of Barmer with song, dance and prayers to welcome the unusual sight of the Luni river flowing through their town.
After three days of continuous rain, the river flowed through Samdari town in the western Rajasthan district on Wednesday. It was only for the second time in five years and the locals couldn’t have been happier.
Luni River, also known as ‘Maruganga’ or the Ganga of Rajasthan, originates from the Nag Pahadi in Aravali ranges in Ajmer and flows through nine districts of the state before merging into Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch.
However, the river hardly reaches Barmer even when it rains heavily in the region, an expert said.
After encountering the rare sight on Wednesday, elated residents of the Samdari town gathered around the river as women sang folk songs while men danced on the beats of the drums.
The locals, who consider this to be an auspicious occasion for the entire region, worshipped the river and offered ‘chunri’ (a traditional red scarf).
Convener of the Jodhpur chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH) Mahendra Singh Tanwar said the Luni river has had a huge natural and cultural significance in this region since long.
“But due to various factors including negligence of the river for over a decade, the river has an existential threat,” he said.
Tanwar said the river originates in Nag mountains of Ajmer and travels about 495 km before merging into the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
“The river travels 350 km in Rajasthan through Ajmer, Nagaur, Jodhpur, Pali, Jalore and Barmer districts but hardly reaches Barmer and even during heavy rain,” he said.
Former union minister of state Kailash Chaudhary and others also offered prayers at the river while similar scenes were witnessed at a few other places as well.
The celebration underscores the importance of water in the desert area where people have to live with limited supply of water and face acute water crisis during the summer season.
Emphasising on a plan to preserve water in the usually dry river, a local resident, Goparam, said that the river flowed in the area last year as well but it all went to waste.
“If a plan is made for saving or storing this water, it could prove to be a boon for farmers. This will also raise the underground water level in the surrounding region, which will help the farming, devastated by the absence of water and industrial effluent”, he said.
Due to the rainfall in its catchment area, an area that collects water after rainfall, over the past five days, the river is currently flowing to its full capacity.
Although the river had water last year as well, the flow and volume were less. Residents said that several other local rivers join this approximately 350 km long river in Rajasthan. PTI COR SDA NB NB
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