Dry Swan riverbeds teeming with summer vegetables

Rajesh Sharma

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Una, May 26

The summer season is at its peak in Una district and the wet zone within the 700 m wide seasonal Swan river between the Santoshgarh bridge and the Ghaluwal bridge has narrowed down to just about 60 m, leaving vast spans of dry sandy beds on both sides.

However, these sand beds are lush green with summer vegetable crops cultivated by traditional growers from Uttar Pradesh, who are called ‘Rais’ by locals.

There are about 2,500 Rai families, mostly from Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh, for whom Swan riverbeds are their second home, where they toil for a livelihood before going back to their roots every year during the monsoon for a few months. They are back here before the winter when they begin their routine work of rearing nurseries, digging long trenches on the riverbeds and filling these with manure.

The Agriculture Department estimates that ‘Rais’ cultivate vegetables on about 50,000 kanals of barren sands of the Swan river and some of the major tributaries in Una district using their traditional skills.

Dr Bipan Sharma, scientist in-charge of the Una Krishi Vigyan Kendra, said during the summer, hundreds of trucks loaded with vegetables and fruits left for various markets situated within and outside the state.

Nannhe Khan and Iqbal Mian, who took about 40 kanals of private land within the river stretch on lease from residents of Badheda village, have cultivated cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd and water melon.

Others like them also cultivate tomato, pumpkin and musk melon. Some, even more enterprising have installed make-shift diesel pumps to cultivate okra, capsicum and brinjal.

Nanhe Khan said the family of nine persons, including his wife, two sons and daughters-in-law, besides grandchildren reached Una in batches.

“Men are the first to come, who make thatched huts on the leased land, plant nurseries and dig 4 ft deep trenches on the sand. These are then filled with manure and seeds are planted in December.

Straw is used to protect the seedlings from frost. Women and children reach Una when manual labour is in demand,” he said.

Life was tough with no electricity, with a fear of reptiles and other animals coming to the river for water, he added.

Nayeem Ali, who comes every year to work at Rampur village, said seeds and chemicals were brought from Uttar Pradesh.

He said two schools had been set up by the government for their children near Ghaluwal village, but those were far-off. There was so much work in the fields that every single hand mattered.

Ali said the scorching sun was a boon, while rain during the summer disturbed flowers and buds, besides increasing pests.

Groundwater has gone down considerably. “There is plastic and polythene as we dig, cost of manure has sky-rocketed and children want to live a life of comfort rather than toil in the sun,” said Nayeem, adding that though they had been working here for many generations, they were not accepted by the locals. “We do not have access to money in emergency, like for farm inputs or paying for health services,” he rued.

Second home to 2,500 UP families

There are about 2,500 Rai families, mostly from Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh, for whom Swan riverbeds are their second home, where they toil for a livelihood before going back to their roots every year during the monsoon for a few months. They are back here before the winter when they begin their routine work of rearing nurseries, digging long trenches on the riverbeds and filling these with manure.  

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