In a remarkable display of community-driven environmental action, Rajya Sabha member and environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal celebrated a significant milestone on Monday. He marked the one-year anniversary of his kar sewa (voluntary service) dedicated to reviving Ludhiana's once-sacred Buddha Dariya, which had tragically become a toxic drain.
From Toxic Drain to Clear Stream: The One-Year Transformation
Inspired by his earlier success in restoring the Kali Bein rivulet, Seechewal launched this ambitious second phase of his mission on December 22, 2024. Demonstrating profound personal commitment, the spiritual leader reportedly canceled an overseas tour to lead the effort on the ground. His philosophy centered on change through action rather than mere criticism, a principle put to the test against the river's blackened sludge.
After twelve months of relentless work, the team reports visible and measurable progress. At Sangat Ghat, a key monitoring point, the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels have dramatically dropped from over 2,000 parts per million (ppm) last year to a range between 120 and 160 ppm. Near the Central Jail bridge on Tajpur Road, where industrial waste once flowed, a clear stream now exists, attracting birds to the riverbanks for the first time in decades.
The Seechewal Model in Action: Sludge, Sewage, and Community Ghats
The physical transformation required Herculean efforts. Teams removed up to six feet of accumulated sludge from the riverbed. A critical part of the strategy involved blocking the discharge of raw sewage and cattle waste directly into the water. To reconnect the community with the river, new ghats (steps) were developed near the villages of Bhukhri Khurd and Tajpur.
The technical backbone of this cleanup is the proven Seechewal model, a low-cost, effective sewage treatment system. Its application here has yielded substantial results:
- Diverting 70 million liters per day (MLD) of sewage from the Jamalpur drain to treatment plants.
- Redirecting 165 MLD from municipal sources for treatment.
- Successfully blocking waste from 79 rural dairies from entering the stream.
This environmental restoration has already enabled cultural revival. In April 2025, the riverbanks witnessed the first Baisakhi celebration in 40 years, complete with a Nagar Kirtan and devotees taking holy dips in the cleaner waters.
The Mission Continues: Challenges and a Call for Collective Effort
Despite these impressive gains, Sant Seechewal emphasized that the mission is far from complete. Speaking on the anniversary, he identified wastewater from the Tajpur Dairy Complex as a significant remaining challenge. He vowed that the voluntary service would continue until the goal of 100 percent cleanliness is achieved.
Freedom from pollution is not possible through criticism, but only through collective and sincere efforts, Seechewal stated, thanking the people of Ludhiana for their widespread support. He clarified that his opposition is not to the city's industries or dairies, but to pollution itself, reiterating his unwavering commitment to a future of clean water and public health for all.
