World Water Day: Braj’s Yamuna seeking freedom from Delhi

The Yamuna River originates from the Yamunotri Glacier and is the largest tributary of the Ganges River, today this river is more polluted than the Ganges River. Yamuna is kept along with Ganga in the most sacred and ancient rivers of India. Just as the river Ganga has a cultural history, similarly the river Yamuna also has a cultural history. Yamuna is the only important river of the entire Braj region. As far as Braj culture is concerned, simply calling Yamuna a river is not enough. In fact, it has been the helper of Braj culture, the motivator of its long-standing tradition and the main basis of the religious spirit here. Just as Krishna has a place in Braj region, similarly Yamuna has a place in Braj. Today the level of pollution in the same river Yamuna is dangerous, and going beyond Delhi, this river is dying. And Yamuna has become a drain. And it is taking its breath away.

Those who have been doing research on Yamuna for years, those experts believe that the reason for this is industrial pollution, dumping of contaminated water coming out of factories without treatment directly into the river, the population living on the banks of Yamuna discharges excreta and dirt directly into the river. But the most dangerous of these is the chemical waste that is being dumped by the factories on the banks of the Yamuna.

Today, the condition of Yamuna has become like that of an old mother lying at home, whom we love and take advantage of, but do not care about. The basis of Yamuna is religious, economic and cultural. This river has a glorious history, so all the countrymen will have to come forward for the campaign to free Yamuna from pollution and restore its dignity.

Commercial activities are increasing day by day on every river of the country, at least Yamuna and major rivers of the country need to be kept free from it.

Delhi’s Wazirabad Barrage is such a place where you will probably get the answer to the plight of Yamuna. This is the place from where the river enters Delhi and the barrage built at this place stops the Yamuna from moving forward. The river Yamuna flows up to this point, in front of it a drain in the form of Yamuna flows. Yamuna water is crystal clear on one side of Wazirabad and black on the other side, from this place all the water of the river is lifted by Delhi and sent to water treatment plant so that the people of Delhi can get drinking water. It is from here that the plight of this river also starts. In Delhi, more than 18 drains are found in the Yamuna river in a journey of 22 kilometers, so what will be the condition of the rest of the places. The biggest contribution in this is of industrial pollution which is not being cleared.

Yamuna river travels a distance of one thousand 29 kms, and in the distance of 700 kms from Delhi to Chambal, Delhi, Agra and Mathura are the most polluted. After leaving the Wazirabad barrage in Delhi, the Yamuna turns from bad to worse. There is no oxygen in the water of Yamuna at these places. Meeting with the Chambal river, this river gets life and revives again, it comes back to its original form.

For the river to remain clean, it is necessary that water should be allowed to flow, stopping it by making dams everywhere will not work. What is flowing in front of Delhi is not Yamuna at all, it is sewage water. First leave the sewage water in the river and then keep treating it, then the river can never be clean.

Even after shedding so much money in two phases of the Yamuna Action Plan, if the condition of the river remains the same, then it simply means that what has been done is not right. Instead of making Yamuna clean and pollution free, more of this money has gone to corruption, it is well known. Even after crores of rupees have been spent, why there is no result till now and why Yamuna has not become pollution free even after crores of money has been spent on Yamuna Action Plan, this is a question in itself.

The fact is that efforts were not made to improve Kalindi’s condition. Programs were also run at the government and non-government level, but the situation remained the same. For this, there is a need of determination which should be there in every Indian, then we will not even need to shed crores of rupees. People of all religions will have to give Yamuna the status of their mother, because Yamuna quenches the thirst of crores of people of the country, be it Hindu or Muslim, everyone should try for this. Apart from this, do not sit quietly till the Yamuna becomes unstoppable. And today there is a need to inform the people living on the banks of Yamuna about the plight of Yamuna and make them aware. Only then we can make Yamuna’s stream uninterrupted, pure and accessible and return the same old Kalindi to Braj.

– Brahmanand Rajput

(Yamuna and environment thinker)

Dahtora, Agra