From Samir Kumar Sahu. director of the Blue Community Mayurbhanj Biological Research MBR, India:
The Future of Rivers is in Darkness: Memory, Reality, and Our Responsibility.
Some images remain permanently alive in human memory. The river of my village is one such memory. Today, when I see its dry sandbanks, polluted water, and reduced flow, my heart fills with deep sorrow, remembering the once-living river of the past.
There was a time when our village river flowed throughout most of the year. By digging slightly into the sandy riverbed, clean, cool, and sweet drinking water was easily available. The river was not only a source of water but the lifeline of rural civilization—supporting agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and daily domestic needs.
In earlier times, agricultural production in river-dependent areas was stable and abundant due to assured irrigation from natural river systems. Fisher communities thrived in rivers, wetlands, and connected water bodies. Seasonal fishing supported food security and livelihood. Farmers, fishermen, livestock rearers, and rural labour communities all depended directly or indirectly on healthy river ecosystems.
Today, this balance is under severe threat. River water levels are continuously declining. Many rivers are transforming into dry sandbeds. The ecological chain that once supported farming and fishing communities is collapsing. Reduced water availability is directly impacting crop production, soil fertility, groundwater recharge, and livelihood security.
This crisis is not limited to ecology—it is a socio-economic emergency.
The rivers of Odisha, especially the 12 perennial river systems of Similipal, are under serious threat. Among them, the Budhabalanga River, known as a lifeline river system and associated with the region’s highest waterfall ecosystem, is critically important for biodiversity, agriculture, and rural livelihoods.
If these rivers are not protected, groundwater levels will decline further, agricultural productivity will reduce, fisheries will collapse, and rural livelihood systems will become increasingly vulnerable. The possibility of desertification-like conditions in parts of the landscape may become a harsh reality.
This is a serious warning: a dream of desert may become reality if rivers die.
This concern is strongly aligned with conservation and restoration initiatives led by Mayurbhanj Biological Research (MBR), in collaboration with Blue Community NET, GEF CSO Member initiatives, and Associate Partner Abhay Dan Trust. These organizations are committed to river restoration, watershed protection, sustainable agriculture support, and community-based livelihood security.
Appeal for Action
I, Samir Kumar Sahu, Executive Director, Mayurbhanj Biological Research, sincerely seek kind attention and urgent collective support for the restoration and protection of our rivers.
We appeal to all stakeholders—government, civil society, academic institutions, farmers, fisher communities, and youth—to join hands in this mission.
Without rivers, there is no agriculture.
Without rivers, there is no fisheries economy.
Without rivers, there is no rural livelihood.
Without rivers, there is no future.
Let us protect rivers not as resources, but as living lifelines of civilization.
Please support and cooperate with our mission and vision for river restoration and ecological sustainability.
