New Delhi: The irrigation and flood control department (I&FC) has informed National Green Tribunal that it has submitted a fresh proposal to Delhi govt, requesting to revert to the Najafgarh Drain’s old name, Sahibi river, to raise awareness and remove the stigma associated with the word “nala”, which is often linked to dirty water.The department said that in Delhi, the river is called Najafgarh Drain, and the proposal to revert to Sahibi River has been submitted to the state names authority (SNA) for scrutiny and further submission to the ministry of home affairs for their concurrence.In its letter to Delhi govt’s urban development department, the department said that the words drain, or nala in Hindi, often lead to the misconception that the channel carries dirty water. This is hindering mass support in cleaning it, it said.The department said that district magistrates are to submit details like the area of the drain in their respective districts for further scrutiny.In 2024, the tribunal sought details from the department on whether the Najafgarh Drain was ever known as Sahibi river and whether it can be renamed that “for generating people’s support for its rejuvenation”. The department said the “Sahibi/Sabee/Sabi river is an ephemeral, rain-fed river flowing through Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi,” and it drains into the Yamuna in Delhi, “where its channelled course is commonly called the Najafgarh drain (or Najafgarh Nala).”“The Najafgarh drain is the biggest drain in Delhi. Efforts are already in place to rejuvenate this channel and give it the shape of a river in all aspects, but this humongous task cannot be achieved without the support and participation of locals. To generate people’s support, it is necessary to avoid using the word ‘drain/nala’ due to the stigma and misconception associated with the word among commoners, as it symbolises a channel carrying dirty water,” the department said.
