Hundreds of people of Sitamarhi district in Bihar on Tuesday started their three-day Jal Satyagraha (standing in river water) to restore a local river to its original bed. The changed river course has hampered agriculture in the area forcing local people to migrate from their villages for their livelihood.
Under the banner of “Sangharsh Yatra” the villagers entered the Lakhandei river on Tuesday morning and will be in the water till Thursday morning.
The river, also known as “Mahalakshmi Swarupa Luxman Ganga” originates from the Himalayan range in neighbouring Nepal. It gradually changed its course after bridges were constructed across it in areas falling in Nepal.
“It is because of the changed course that agriculture, especially paddy farming, has been hampered in eight blocks of the two districts of Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur,” local activist Sashi Shekhar told The Hindu .
Earlier, this part of Sitamarhi was known as a paddy bowl but 19 rice mills have been closed since.
“The river has moved two kilometres away from its original bed affecting farming in the area. Thousands of villagers were forced to migrate in search of livelihood,” said Mr. Shekhar.
The villagers have been staging peaceful protest marches, dharnas in the area for long but have got mere assurances from the authorities.
