Seechewal & his model – What it’s all about
Environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal’s draped-in-saffron, dripped-in-sweat visage are the earliest images that the people of Punjab know of him.
He became a household name during his pioneering efforts to conserve the Kali Bein (also known as Guru Nanak’s Bein) in 2000 – when he waded through the then miry, hyacinth-ridden waters of the Kali Bein – to revive the historic rivulet, which was then dying a slow death.
His Bein-cleaning kar sewa became a mass movement, with villagers joining in his efforts. Photos of Seechewal, with his head covered in a nest of weeds – navigating shoulder-deep waters – dotted newspapers. The resultant acclaim that he earned catapulted him to being the foremost names in environment conservation in the state. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 2017 and nominated as Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament by the AAP in 2022.
Recently, Leader of Opposition, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa, terming Seechewal’s model of water conservation as a “failed model” and addressing the RS MP as a “contractor”, was the first time a prominent state political leader directed a charge at the environmentalist MP.
In his pointed retort, Seechewal instead called the Thapar model the “failed model” and questioned the Congress for lauding and adopting his model during its tenure.
Ironically, successive governments in the state have failed to tackle vast urbanisation on the banks of the Kali Bein, frequent deaths of fish in the Bein over the years, along with an ever-increasing groundwater stress in Doaba which have continued unabated in this government too despite Seechewal’s protestations and position. He has often trained guns at the Punjab Pollution Control Board and bureaucrats for failing to run sewage treatment plants. He also repeatedly raised the issue of state’s groundwater crisis on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, at the Kisan Andolan and in the Rajya Sabha.
What is the Seechewal Model?
The inception of the Seechewal model happened at his native village Seechewal on the banks of the Chitti Bein at Shahkot in Jalandhar in 1999. He had begun work in villages as early as 90s, carrying out cleanliness drives and advocating the revival of water sources. As claimed by Seechewal himself, the “Seechewal model” has been successfully running across nearly 250 villages across Punjab and was also declared to be adopted in 1,657 villages along the banks of the Ganga by the Centre.
Seechewal model is a low-cost and indigenously modelled underground system of sewerage and pipelines wherein sewage or waste waters from villages and settlements is used for irrigation purposes. It is a pipe-and-pump formula which removes heavy solid particles, oil and other pollutants from water. It employs a combination of processes through four-well systems of wastewater treatment for further reuse. The water wells need to be cleaned regularly, failing which, they may produce extremely poor effluents with suspended solids. The model facilitates repurposing of waste grey waters. These are used in acres of farmland in villages and replicated in Seechewal’s own plant nurseries. The water has been frequently tested and as per Seechewal – found fit for being used in fields. The model has been studied and lauded widely.
Gurmangal Das, who’s behind multifold-water conservation models at the award-winning Rurka Kalan village in Jalandhar, says Seechewal’s efforts had not borne full fruit “due to the continued dumping of sewage waste and mass dropping of religious ceremonial waste around “Chath festival”. Also due to the bursting of crackers, there has been a marked reduction in migratory birds arriving at Kanjli. The continued colonisation of Bein banks has also dealt a severe blow to conservation efforts.”
Gurmangal Das, says, “In our experience, the Thapar model integrated with Constructed Wetland (Reedbed Technlogy) Model (which employs weeds to rid water of E coli) is the best to weed out all impurities from grey water to make it fit for healthy reuse in Punjab villages. We use the same.”
Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira says, “Seechewal has achieved his fame and position with his activism and made a name for himself. But the question is whether the Kali Bein, whose champion he is, is still unclean. If de-weeding has been carried out, that’s a very temporary phase. A permanent solution couldn’t be found either by him or the government despite getting accolades. His model was indeed adopted because the government-sponsored model is very costly due to massive corruption and wasn’t financially viable. My only question is what has been done in his two-year tenure in the RS. Without water from Mukerian Hydel Channel, the Bein is still polluted — from villages’ sewage wastes — which further pollute groundwater.”
Seechewal says, “When no one was aware of the issue of water recycling or recharge, we started it. When people were still talking about recycling, we had started water recharge. From laying sewerage pipelines to recharge ponds, we did it all from our pockets. Engineers came to us seeking permission to use my model, for which I also signed a document. They adopted it and it later became the ‘Thapar Model’. Lakhs were given to villages in the name of Thapar Model. If anyone says the Seechewal model doesn’t work, I’m answerable. We have run multiple tests which deemed the water fit for reuse. I do not expect someone of Bajwa’s understanding to understand the depth of my work.”
Speaking about continued waste flow into rivulets and streams, Seechewal said, “We had a problem in our village and we ensured it was solved. I made arrangements with what I had. Is there any logic to state governments unable to solve repeated water related issues at Sultanpur Lodhi, Kala Sanghian Drain and other rivulets with vast resources available to them. That can only be answered by them.”
Punjab
