RUDRAPUR: The ongoing heavy downpour while creating devastation in many low-lying areas in the Terai region of Udham Singh Nagar district , has come as a blessing in disguise for the once gushing Kalyani river which is the main water feeder for the industrial area of Rudrapur The river has since a long time been reduced to a sewer with garbage being dumped in it on a daily basis. However, resident said that the heavy rains had cleared the choked river which was now flowing faster and with an increased water-level. Incidentally, paddy farmers in the region (which is considered the food bowl of the state) also welcomed the rains which are good for their crop.The river also has its own significance, as for a devotee a visit to Atariya temple in Rudrapur is seldom complete without a dip in the sacred Kalyani.The river, which flowed at a small distance from the temple, invited believers and residents alike, who came either to take a bath or to simply walk along its banks. However the once gushing river, say locals, is now no more than a messy sewer and has become a breeding ground for various diseases.Sanjay Juneja, president of Rudrapur traders’ union, said, “Kalyani was contaminated to a dangerous level with bodies of stray animals often seen floating in it. Thanks to the heavy downpour, the river looks clean as of now.”Gaula Idrees, a local who lives on the banks of Kalyani river in Jagatpura, said, “For the past few days the civic body was conducting large-scale cleaning of the river but their efforts were going in vain as the rate of waste dumping was much higher than the cleaning speed. The rains have now helped the cause.”Echoing similar views, resident Gajendra Pal, said, “The administration could never have been able to clean the choked river. Civic officials should thank the rains for finishing their long-pending duty.”Kalyani is the main water feeder for the industrial area of Rudrapur. It was in 2016 that the then district magistrate of US Nagar, Ashish Srivastava, allocated Rs 7 lakh to clean the river, after reports highlighted the condition of the river.Idrees added, “The river was cleaned then but nobody stopped dumping waste in it. Industrial waste also added to the pollution. I won’t be surprised if again tomorrow the civic workers start dumping waste in it.”

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