The first civilizations were formed on the banks of the beautiful rivers. The most notable ones are the Ancient Egyptians, who were based on the Nile, the Mesopotamians in the Fertile Crescent on the Tigris/Euphrates rivers, the Ancient Chinese on the Yellow River, and Ancient India on the river Indus. Rivers were the most attractive locations for the first civilizations because they provided a steady supply of potable water and made the land fertile for growing crops. Moreover, transportation of goods and people were made easy, and the people in these civilizations could fish and hunt the animals that came to drink water from the river providing them livelihood. Early river valley civilizations were considered as hydraulic empires which maintained power through unique control over access to water. This system of governance arose through the need for flood control and irrigation, which required central coordination and a specialised bureaucracy. River valleys are known as 'Cradles of Civilizations' because primordial people settled on the banks of rivers and civilizations prospered there.

Siruthuli wanted to emphasis on the fact that the river bed is the mother of all the growth and development. To create awareness among people Siruthuli team organised an event known as ‘ Nadhikarai Nagarigam’ where children from several schools enthusiastically participated to exhibit their knowledge and understanding about River valley civilization through demonstration models and cultural activities. Cultural events were organised to add more colour and liveliness to the event. The importance of preserving and maintaining our culture and heritage through our rivers was stressed, and children participated with great enthusiasm.

Siruthuli team realized that creating awareness among the school community would bring in puissant impact to the cause. It all started in 2007, as a two day event in VOC park where the children would gather near the Pachanayagi tree and listen to sessions given by eminent people and environmental enthusiasts and learn from them. Later it became an event for an entire week where children from various schools would participate in various sessions. After a break of 2 years , the Nurture Nature Camp resumed in 2022 at the VOC park. It was a bright sunny day , when little cherubs from different schools gathered near Pachai Nayagi , VOC park with all zeal to take part in the camp. Dr G S Sameeran, the first citizen of Coimbatore , addressed the children with enthusiasm. He had a casual discussion with the children asking them about the various things they observed in the park. He made a count of 27 different things that the little children mentioned. He was fascinated by the Magizham poo tree and said they mention it as Ilanchi poo in their place and there is a 400 year old tree in front of his house . We could feel the sense of nostalgia he was holding when he discussed his home .

The Collector discussed how the Bats act as a carrier for various types of organisms to spread the disease and how human beings and birds act as carrier to a lot of plant species . We should try to understand the fact that everything in the universe is related and has a significance . Later the children were taken to the Noyyal Life centre where they listened to the sessions on various thematic areas such as Water, Forests, Waste, Biodiversity etc. Each day of the camp is curated with care, to take the children through the importance of various aspects of environment and the importance to preserve them. The children are also educated on the natural / made-made resources in the city and taken around the city to educate them. Various hands on and interactive sessions are also organised which help the children involve in activities and understand their responsibility towards protecting Nature. Learning by doing is the best way to learn and what better than to get involved with Nature enthusiasts in Siruthuli.
What nature teaches us is “Lets Learn to Let others Live”

Valankulam tank  is one of the largest tanks situated in the south zone of the city with the southern bund connecting Trichy Road in Sungam and the northern part connecting the Palghat /Pollachi Road in the Ukkadam region. A bypass road laid by the Highways Department connects Sungam and Ukkadam over a length of 2.8 km. Though it is located in the heart of the city, it seems to be a glorified sewage tank due to the flow of sewage water. Due to the sewage in the tank, it has become a breeding ground for water hyacinth. Valankulam mainly serves the area by recharging the aquifers on the southern and eastern sides of Coimbatore. This sector is a very important place as it contains the Collectorate, Bus stand, Railway station, host of Educational establishments, Hospitals, Industries, Airport, Government Offices etc., and therefore it is extremely important to the citizens of Coimbatore and the large visiting population from neighbouring states. 

On the day of the campaign, Siruthuli invited people from all walks of life to participate in this one-kilometre long signature and art exposition on canvas. The one-kilometre long cloth banner was fixed on Sungam bypass Road (on the bund of ValanKulam)  from 8 a.m. onwards to facilitate the signature campaign and art exposition where thousands of people turned up in support of the campaign.  Shri G.K.Sundaram – Chairman Lakshmi Groups of Companies a reputed citizen of Coimbatore inaugurated the campaign and hoisted the national flag. General Public, students and teachers from all the Educational Institutions, Service Organisations, Industrial establishments and associations of all kinds pledged their solidarity for the cause by joining this campaign. It is estimated that about 6000 participants showed their unanimity by signing  in the campaign.  After many years Valankulam has reached the maximum water level during the subsequent rains. The total tank bed area of Valankulam is 160 acres. Surplus water from periakulam and the rainwater from the city are the principal sources of water for this tank. When the tank was restored to regain its pristine self, it again became the abode of migratory birds with different flora and fauna.

Children learn the  best by being involved in learning and  actively engaging with the environment. Learning by doing, is the best way to learn and explore the environment and things around them. For this reason, Siruthuli, started the awareness programme ‘Sittukaludan Siruthuli” for educating the little cherubs about the importance of the environment and its conservation. It is a joyous one-day event , where children from various schools gather together at Noyyal Life Centre and enjoy learning about the various pillars of Siruthuli. The students are divided into teams so the children from various schools mingle and learn from each other. The students are first introduced to Siruthuli , the birth of Siruthuli during the water crisis, and the various themes of the organization. The children are then taken through awareness sessions on themes such as water, afforestation, waste management and the need for the same through videos and interactive sessions. The children are also given various hands-on activities like creating wealth out of waste and other sessions to ingrain the teachings and ensure they take back the lessons learnt. They are given a tour of the campus, having its in-house rainwater harvesting structure and roof-top terrace garden made out of composting the segregated waste. The children are made to realise the importance of conservation and how to do so in everyday life in a simple manner. They take back their learnings and experiences and share the same with the students of their class and create awareness of the topics learnt.

As children are the future of tomorrow, creating a sense of awareness and conservation at an early stage and driving the lesson in school students is one of the main activities that Siruthuli is involved in every Friday of the week.

The event took place at Kooduthurai, the origin where thousands gathered to take an oath to support the restoration of Noyyal. Representatives from various districts of NORFED attended the event. Social Activist and Padma Bhushan awardee Anna Hazare was the chief guest for the event. Actor Surya who has always been a crusader of the cause joined in to create awareness and encourage people of the region to protect the river. The event was well attended by the public, schools, and institutions, having cultural events and talks by guests on the mighty river. The river originates in the Western Ghats, the Periyar that begins at Kovai Courtallam, at the Siruvani foothills located 38 km west of the city, the Chinnaar (also known as Chaadiaar) and the Kanchimanadhi join at Kooduthurai to form the Noyyal. The 160 km river joins the Cauvery at Kodumudi in Erode District after flowing through Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Karur. A hamlet at the point of confluence is also named Noyyal. Besides, 34 rivulets also join the Noyyal at various points. The river has 23 check dams. Most are located between Kooduthurai and Tirupur, 52 km east of Coimbatore city.

Over time, neglect and mismanagement have led to the disappearance of the river from the landscape. Out of the 34 streams, only 4 of them are barely visible . The main reason being encroachment, silt formation over time and many of them converted into cart tracks which prevent water from the adjoining hills from reaching the river. The river itself has been devastated  beyond recognition due to pervasive sand mining, garbage being dumped, and sewage being let into the river. This has destroyed the pristine nature of the river Noyyal.

Noyyalai Nòkki is a robust  effort to bring back life to Noyyal. Siruthuli for the first time worked on a 3D concept : 
DIVIDE            –  River Noyyal into 500-meter segments 
DISTRIBUTE  – the segments among people who are willing to adopt it
DEVELOP      – the segments by desilting, setting up sewage treatment plants, tree planting along the banks etc.
Each of the segments will have a watchdog committee comprising of a donor, an educational institution – both school and college, local youth groups and community leaders from the local region coming together to make a difference.
COME!! – MOTHER  NOYYAL  NEEDS  YOU!!!

Civilisations are established along the banks of rivers. The Noyyal river and its interconnected tank and canal system, believed to have been originally built by the Chalukya Cholas kings, was an efficient system that provided water transport, storage, and maintained stable groundwater levels. Surplus water from the river spilt into the canals and was channelled to the tanks, preventing flooding. The tanks were a major factor in replenishing the ground water through the percolation of the subsoil water. As urbanisation grew, the system was neglected and the number of functional tanks was drastically reduced. Restoration of the river to its original glory and generating awareness about the lifeline of the city is an aspiring endeavour of Siruthuli.

A landmark procession was organised to make the citizens aware of the once glorious akshaya patra of Coimbatore and to make people aware of the original path. On October 2nd, 2005, Coimbatore witnessed an extraordinary march. Nearly 1,00,000 people walked a 30-km stretch as a pledge to revive the Noyyal, once the lifeline of this Kongu belt. The spontaneous turnout for the Noyyal Yatra confirmed that a people's movement to conserve water resources was gathering momentum. Organised on Gandhi Jayanthi, it was compared to Gandhiji's Dandi March. A portrait of the Mahatma on a float had the line: " It was Dandi March then for rights. Today, it is the Noyyal Yatra for life."

The yatra involved thousands of volunteers from schools, colleges , various groups and organisations and brought together several citizens of all walks of life to understand the lifeline of the Kongu region. The journey began from Kooduthurai and went up to Singanallur near Perks school where the Noyyal crosses the city limit. The yatra was well planned and executed dividing the entire course into ten legs, allowing people from each locality to participate providing a chance for everyone to contribute to understanding the river. The citizens showered their love with tokens of fruits, water and snacks as they marched along the journey. This historic event, etched in the memories of thousands of people, succeeded in generating awareness of the mighty river’ origin and course and encouraged people to participate in the movement.