Pollution control board members survey Falgu riverbed in Gaya on Tuesday. Picture by Suman

Gaya, June 7: The state government has finally woken up to the plight of holy Falgu riverbed which has turned into a dumping ground, thanks to the drain water from the town that flows onto the land.

Following the direction of chief minister Nitish Kumar, a six-member team of Bihar State Pollution Control Board, headed by chairman Subhash Chandra Singh, arrived at Gaya today and conducted a survey of the Falgu riverbed. The team would submit its report at Patna. The team members expressed concern over the dirty water from the drains of the township flowing ontothe riverbed and the land being used as a dumping ground by residents who have also encroached on it.

Taking a serious note of reports about Falgu riverbed getting polluted, the chief minister had asked the pollution control board chairman to conduct a survey of the ancient river. He had expressed concern over the increasing pollution on Falgu riverbed while addressing a programme organised on “environment day” in Patna. A social activist from Gaya, Brijnandan Pathak, had drawn the attention of the chief minister towards pollution and encroachment on the Falgu riverbed by sending a petition via post.

The river though has very little water, that too in the rainy season, it still has a great religious significance. Lakhs of Hindu devotees arrive at Gaya during the 17-day long Pitripaksh (normally falling in September) to offer “pinddaan” rituals. It is said that even if one dips his toes in the water of Falgu river, his ancestors attain salvation.

Also, it is said that prince Siddhartha had walked through the Falgu riverbed to reach upto Bodhgaya where he sat under a peepal tree and attained enlightenment.

Brijnandan Pathak, who too accompanied the pollution board team, told The Telegraph that the team members visited the Mansarwa drain near Vishnupad temple that flows towards Falgu riverbed, the riverbed near Vishnupad burning ghat, Manpur, Kirani ghat and Panchayati Akhada besides Naili village, connecting Gaya-Bodhgaya Ghughritand bypass and Gaya-Bodhgaya military cantonment area bypass roads.

Pathak said in the petition he had mentioned that garbage was being dumped on the Falgu riverbed because of which a long stretch of around 10km between Kendui and Bitho Sharif and the nearly 5km between Sita Kund and Buniyadganj were getting polluted. Not only garbage,dead animals were also being thrown on the riverbed. Encroachment was also rampant on the riverbed and some colonies had been constructed on it. Notably, Falgu is a subterranean river that normally remains dry for at least six months from February to July.

Another social worker and advocate Shivbachan Singh, who accompanied the pollution control board team told The Telegraph that water level of the Falgu was depleting because of the pollution. Earlier, water could be found by digging just one foot deep on the Falgu riverbed. Now, even after digging 10 feet deep, it is difficult to find water.