For years, the Singri River in Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh, was slowly dying. What was once a lifeline for villages had turned into a foul-smelling drain. Sewage flowed into it, garbage was dumped along its banks, and encroachments gradually took over. People who once bathed, washed clothes and even collected water from the river had begun avoiding it.
One administrative officer decided that this had to change. Gajendra Singh Nagesh, CEO of Narsinghpur Zilla Panchayat, led an initiative that brought together 26 panchayat-led projects to revive the river. But what makes his effort particularly interesting is not just what he achieved, but how he went about it.
An administrator with a larger vision
Nagesh is an IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre. According to available service records, he entered the IAS through promotion from the State Civil Service in 2016, rather than through direct UPSC recruitment. His administrative experience spans several years, and water conservation has been a recurring area of his work.
During his earlier posting in Singrauli, he was associated with efforts to revive eight rivers, including the nearly extinct Kanchan River. One notable intervention was a gabion structure built using stones, without conventional concrete construction. His work in water conservation also received recognition through the Jal Prahari Samman.
His approach has consistently focused on practical solutions, ecological sensitivity and community participation.
Turning the tide in Singri
When Nagesh inspected the Singri River in January 2026, he found a severely degraded waterbody. Its banks were encroached upon, sewage entered the stream, and aquatic life had almost disappeared.
There was another challenge: there was no dedicated budget for the initial work.
Instead of waiting for funds, he approached other departments for machinery. Tractors, JCBs and Poclain excavators were made available for approximately 800 hours, with the project bearing only the diesel expenses. This helped avoid substantial machinery-hiring costs.
He also chose to divide the larger restoration into 26 smaller projects, each implemented through local gram panchayats. The total sanctioned amount was approximately ₹4.8 crore, with individual projects ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
The administration worked with the revenue department to clear encroachments and reclaim the riverbanks. Rather than constructing expensive concrete retaining walls, the team used locally sourced stones to strengthen nearly 2,000 metres of riverbanks. The riverbed was raised by two to four metres, and gently sloping sections were created to improve its natural structure.
The people became the strength
Perhaps the most important part of this initiative was getting villagers involved. Initially, some residents and panchayat representatives were unsure whether such a large project was possible. There were also objections from people whose gardens and structures occupied parts of the riverbank.
Nagesh worked with village representatives, government departments and residents to address these challenges. Through Shramdaan, villagers volunteered their time for cleaning drives. Door-to-door awareness campaigns encouraged people to stop dumping waste, segregate garbage and take responsibility for their surroundings. Sarpanches and neighbouring panchayats also shared resources and coordinated the work.
The project went beyond cleaning the river. Small, gravity-based filtration systems using screens, settling chambers, sand, gravel and plants were planned to treat wastewater entering the stream.
Self-help groups introduced utensil banks to reduce disposable plates and glasses at community functions. A plastic-processing facility was also planned to serve around 35 gram panchayats.
A river brings people together again
Today, a 600-metre riverfront in Nakatuwa has a community hall, cafeteria and open-air theatre. Around 100 acres of adjoining land have been planted with local species.
Fish have reportedly begun reappearing in stretches where aquatic life had disappeared. During a Deepdan celebration, 1,000–1,500 people gathered along the river, something residents had not imagined possible a few years ago.
The river is not completely restored. Sewage treatment and water quality improvements remain ongoing challenges, with plans to extend filtration facilities across all 14 panchayats along its course. But the change is visible.
Nagesh’s work offers an important lesson in public administration: development need not always begin with bigger budgets and bigger contractors. Sometimes it begins with identifying available resources, bringing departments together, trusting local communities and making people stakeholders in the solution.
He did not just set out to clean a river. He helped people reconnect with something they had almost lost. And perhaps that is the most meaningful part of this story — when people take ownership of a problem, even a dying river can find its way back.
