If you have ever lived near a small river, you know how easily it becomes part of your everyday life. It runs past fields, marks shortcuts between homes, and holds memories of festivals, rituals and long afternoons spent by the water. In Azamgarh district of eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Tamsa River has always been that familiar presence.

Over time, though, the signs of strain grew harder to ignore. Silt made parts of the river shallow. Plastic and household waste gathered along the banks. Encroachments slowly reduced the space the river needed to breathe. The Tamsa still flowed, but it looked tired.

In February 2026, a conservation and cleanliness campaign in Azamgarh brought renewed focus to the river under the Namami Gange........

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