Once Delhi’s main water source, this river has now turned into...

Delhi is known for its river Yamuna which not only fulfills its need for water but is also used for religious purposes. It is the capital’s main river. But there is another river that flows through Delhi, this is an ancient river which has lost its purpose as a river and is turned into a drain. This river is Sahibi river which is called Najafgarh drain.  

The river now only flows when there is a lot of rainfall in the catchment areas because it is currently bracketed into numerous canals and nullahs. It used to flow from Tilak Nagar and into the Yamuna River. Over time it started drying up and turned into a nullah. The river’s history is traced back to the Vedic age. It gave birth to some of the most significant vedic sites. In the ancient Hindy texts of Rigveda and Manusmriti Sahibi river is named as the Drishadvati river. 

Sahibi river emanated from the Sewar hills of Rajasthan’s Sikar district and flowed through the states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Earlier existence of temples and mosques around the river shows the religious significance of the river.  

It was 300 km long when it used to flow with gushes of water, however, now it consumes the drainage water and its massive contamination. Due to this, Sahibi is no longer a river as the city’s contaminated water and waste from factories and industries gets collected here.