Hold back the river
MIZORAM : Rochamliana — founder secretary of Mizoram's leading research-based public policy think tank Zoram Research Foundation (ZRF) — couldn't contain his excitement when UNESCO's Delhi office approached him in November 2007, asking him to share photos of natural springs, ponds, rivers and waterholes found in and around the state capital Aizawl for its magazine.
As sophisticated mobile phones were few and far between back then, Rochamliana and his friends from the think tank picked
up a Nikon D50 digital SLR and made a beeline for the banks of the Chite Lui — the 20-km long river that originates at the Bawngkawn range in north Aizawl and joins the Tuirial River at the city's southern end. But the group froze in shock when they finally reached the river.
Banks strewn with garbage, trash floating in the water, depleted natural vegetation and soil erosion due to deforestation. It was far from the picture-perfect scene they were hoping to capture.
Rochamliana, who is also a teacher at the Government Aizawl College and a member secretary of the Mizoram Institute of Advanced Studies, recalls, 'Far before that, there was a time when the banks of this river were rich in flora and fauna. Those days, the farmers used to depend on this river for cultivation. And residents of Aizawl would often visit the riverbanks for picnics. It was quite a scenic setting back in the day. I would hang out there with my friends. We had set up benches there to relax.'
Seeing the sorry state of affairs prompted him and other members of the ZRF to take a pledge to revive the river. Over time, government agencies, NGOs and the church joined the Save Chite Lui Movement. Two decades on, the river is 'safe', thanks to mass awareness.
Discussing the journey of the state capital and what went wrong, he muses, 'Aizawl is a growing city that remains unplanned. There has been a steady migration of people from rural areas, resulting in its expansion. Many houses, shops and other establishments came up on the river's space.'
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