Communities in AP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka braved the summer heat to stand up for river stewardship.
FES
Bird calls, riverside flora, aquatic life and the gentle sound of flowing water. Rivers can be experienced in many ways, not just as water sources but as living ecosystems that shape landscapes, livelihoods and cultures.
Thousands of people around the world set out to do exactly that in May. In India, the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) brought together around 500 participants across Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka to walk along four rivers as part of the global WalkingRivers initiative. The growing international movement encourages people to celebrate, protect and reconnect with their local rivers. Globally, the event saw more than 4,000 people walk along over 120 routes across more than 25 countries, including Albania, Kosovo and Romania, in support of river stewardship.
The initiative comes at a time when India's freshwater ecosystems face mounting pressures. The country supports nearly 18 percent of the world's population with only 4 percent of global freshwater resources. Its rivers are also home to 18 percent of the world's unique aquatic plants and animals.
Yet these rivers are increasingly affected by urbanisation, agricultural expansion, deforestation, mining, dams and industrial growth. The consequences include flooding, riverbank erosion, declining biodiversity, reduced groundwater recharge and deteriorating water quality. According to an analysis by the Central Pollution Control Board, water quality monitoring conducted at 1,920 locations across 603 rivers during 2019 and 2021 identified 311 polluted river stretches on 279 rivers across 30 states and Union Territories.
"It is in this scenario that initiatives like WalkingRivers help us strengthen our collective responsibility towards river ecosystems," said Ekta Khode, State Head, Maharashtra, FES. "When people brave the summer heat and gather for a cause like this, it reflects a growing public recognition of the gravity of the situation and the urgent need to work towards conserving our water commons."
The walks were organised along the Papagni River in Andhra Pradesh, the Waghadi River in Maharashtra, the Mahi River in Gujarat and the Chitravathi River in Karnataka.
The Papagni River, a tributary of the Pennar River, flows through a rain-fed catchment situated at the meeting point of the Deccan Plateau and the Eastern and Western Ghats. Once known for its extensive network of minor irrigation tanks, the region today faces severe droughts and declining groundwater levels.
Increasing cultivated areas, the spread of water-intensive crops, rising cultivation costs and fluctuating market prices have contributed to distress migration in the region. Against this backdrop, the Papagni River Walk at Korthikota brought together community members, civil society organisations and government officials, including representatives from the Revenue and Irrigation departments.
Participants walked 4.8 kilometres along the river, discussing its ecology and the biodiversity and livelihoods connected to the Papagni basin. Along the route, they recorded a remarkable range of species, including sparrows, shrikes, doves, sunbirds and flycatchers. They also observed baya weaver nests, native shrubs and vines, reptiles such as snakes, lizards and skinks, shells, snails, several fish species and some invasive species.
For local communities, the river remains central to everyday life. Describing the Papagni as their "lifeline", villagers shared that water continues to flow even during the summer because every village takes active steps to protect and conserve the river. These efforts, they said, have resulted in environmental, social and economic benefits while supporting the cultivation of crops such as groundnuts, millets, pulses and chillies.
Community members in Karnataka joined the global WalkingRivers movement to protect the fragile freshwater ecosystems.
In Maharashtra, more than 100 people from nine villages walked 6.5 kilometres along the Waghadi River from Akpuri to Murli in Ghatanji taluka. The region has long struggled with agrarian distress driven by declining traditional agricultural practices, limited crop diversification and a preference for high-input cash crops such as cotton.
The 80 kilometre long Waghadi River was once considered the lifeline of Ghatanji. Over time, however, reduced rainfall, changing land use patterns and catchment degradation caused the river to become largely seasonal.
In recent years, communities have worked to reverse this trend. Efforts have included restoring dysfunctional water harvesting structures in catchment areas, implementing soil and moisture conservation measures and undertaking regeneration activities in upland regions. Together, these interventions have helped improve water flows.
During the walk, participants observed several ecological concerns, including soil erosion, excessive water extraction, degraded riverbanks, water-intensive farming practices and the presence of solid waste near the river. At the same time, a natural spring that continued to provide water despite the intense summer heat served as a reminder that recovery remains possible.
Speaking about the conservation efforts needed for the Waghadi River, farmer Jostna Tai said, "Working only in the villages around the river is not enough to restore it. If we truly want to save the river, people living far from it must also conserve water and help recharge groundwater. Only then will the river remain alive and flowing."
The community's deep connection with the river was echoed by social worker Santosh Bhau, who reflected, "We search for gold and silver in the market, but the true treasure is the shimmering water that flows through the rivers."
Through nature journaling, mindful listening, and dialogue, participants highlighted both the ecological challenges and the resilient community efforts.
In neighbouring Gujarat, the river walk began in Jesapura village in Thasra block of Kheda district and continued for 4.4 kilometres to Sundalpura village. The landscape along the Mahi basin is confronting a different challenge. Ravination has expanded steadily over the past few decades, spreading both horizontally and vertically and consuming agricultural fields and common lands. The extent of ravination in the region is considered second only to that of the Chambal basin.
A preliminary survey conducted across 107 villages along the river found that at least 18,000 hectares of common and private land had been affected. "FES has been working in the region to restore and stabilise the ravines through appropriate soil and water conservation measures and improved vegetative cover," said Devabhai Ghambhalya, Block Team Coordinator with FES in Kheda district. "Initiatives like river walks further strengthen the efforts to spread awareness about the urgent need to check this degradation along River Mahi."
The event drew enthusiastic participation from more than 200 community members, including over 100 women and 15 children. Participants walked along the riverbank observing the landscape, biodiversity and patterns of human activity. A mindful listening exercise invited them to sit quietly with their eyes closed and focus on the sounds of wind, birds, insects, rustling leaves and flowing water before sharing their reflections. The group also documented 11 bird species, including the blue-tailed bee-eater, river tern, red-wattled lapwing, little cormorant, red-naped ibis and white-browed wagtail.
One particularly significant observation related to the nesting behaviour of blue-tailed bee-eaters along riverbanks recently excavated by earthmoving machinery. The soft sandy and muddy banks provide critical nesting habitat for these birds, which dig burrows into the riverbanks for breeding. Participants noted that intensive extraction activities threaten these nesting sites as well as the wider river ecosystem.
Across all four states, participants took part in reflective listening activities inspired by this year's WalkingRivers theme, Sounds of a River. This was the first year that the global movement adopted a common theme.
"When we listen to a river, we hear far more than water rushing. We hear biodiversity, memory, movement, the presence of human beings and, ultimately, the importance of caring for these living ecosystems," said Lucia De Stefano of the Water Observatory of the Botín Foundation. "We chose Sounds of a River to encourage people to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with rivers through one of the most powerful senses we have."
The walks also included nature journaling to document biodiversity and traditional practices, storytelling sessions, discussions about livelihoods and connected ecosystems, and conversations on catchment restoration, biodiversity conservation, organic farming and reducing dependence on water-intensive crops.
Reflecting on her experience during the Chitravathi River Walk in Karnataka, Shravani from Kanumakuntapalli village in Chikkaballapura district said, "The discussions on flora, fauna, traditional practices, and river issues helped us reflect on how much the river has changed over the years."
Beyond documenting biodiversity and ecological challenges, the walks aimed to strengthen community engagement in river conservation. "The WalkingRivers activity provided an on-ground experience to people from diverse backgrounds, including farmers, paraecologists, and other community members, besides government officials and village collectives, to strengthen community-led conservation of these water commons," said Ekta Khode.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Centro Ibérico De Restauración Fluvial, Wetlands International Europe, the Water Observatory of the Botín Foundation and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
Reflecting on the growth of the movement, Camila Kuncar of CIREF, one of its founding members, said, "When the project began, little did we know the effect WalkingRivers would have. The response, year after year, shows that people care about their rivers and they are looking for ways to celebrate these vital waterways."
As communities walked, listened, observed and shared stories, they were reminded that rivers are more than channels of flowing water. They are ecosystems that connect people, landscapes and livelihoods. Protecting them requires not only policies and restoration projects but also a deeper relationship between people and the waterways that sustain them.
Disclaimer: Inputs are provided from the state teams of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat of the Foundation for Ecological Security.