Polluted Yamuna water kills two, scores hospitalized

But no one is responsible

By Brij Khandelwal

Mathura October 29 (IANS)

When ex-Bihar health minister and son of Laloo Yadav, Tejasvi Pratap Yadav, visited a hospital in Vrindavan to see the condition of scores of people under treatment for water-pollution-related ailments, he accused prime minister Narendra Modi for callous negligence and failure to clean up Yamuna. The pilgrims had fallen sick after taking achman of Yamuna water which was heavily polluted, he said. Yadav warned of joining a movement for cleaning up Yamuna in future.  

In his new avatar as a Sri Krishna devotee, Tejsvi has been frequently visiting Mathura and Vrindavan after relations with his wife went sour.

Tragedy struck ten days ago, when hundreds of  pilgrims on Braj Yatra, were swept away while crossing Yamuna river. The fragile plastic rope they were holding on to did not prove strong enough and many began drowning after a virtual stampede. All were saved but not before scores had gulped down plenty of polluted and toxic water of the river. While two pilgrims died later, hundreds had to be hospitalized. Some are still receiving treatment in private hospitals.  

The government machinery continues to deny charges of negligence and failure to stop pilgrims from crossing the river. But local green activists say “this is the first such tragedy of river pollution. Earlier only animals were known to fall sick drinking the highly polluted river water.”

Activists in Mathura continue to fume and shout drawing attention to the grim tragedy.  “These pilgrims on a yatra of Braj mandal, tried to cross the river Yamuna on Palwal-Aligarh border, holding on to a fragile rope. In the stampede, hundreds lost control and consumed a lot of polluted Yamuna water. An alarm was raised and hundreds of them had to be sent to hospitals in Mathura, Vrindavan, Kosi and Naujheel for treatment. So far two have died, many are still critical. The district administration and the police should be taken to task for allowing pilgrims to cross the river, when dangers were staring in the face,” they told IANS.

More than 20 pilgrims are still in a serious state. An organizer of the  Yatra led by Padamshri Ramesh Baba of Barsana, blamed officials of the Haryana government, who failed to repair the pontoon bridge in time. According to reports, a plastic rope tied to tractors on both sides of the river, was provided to support pilgrims to wade through the river. “People of short height could not prevent water entering through their mouths. When one pilgrim was seen drowning, a number of them ran to rescue him. This resulted in a stampede of sorts. A large number of them gulped the river water, many falling ill instantly, requiring hospitalization,” a source said.

What is shocking to people here is the rank apathy of the administration. “Today (Tuesday) being Yama Dwitiya, thousands of pilgrims will come for the special Yamuna bath.”

During the holy month of Kaartik, thousands daily  pack the ghats in Vrindavan, Mathura, Agra and Bateshwar for a holy dip in the Yamuna.  But most  come out with curses due to the stink from dead fish and froth of detergents in the polluted waters.

Kartik month is considered holy by Hindus, particularly devotees of Lord Krishna. But the spiritual ambience has been hit hard with the Yamuna reduced to a vast sewage canal. Naturally, this has caused frustration among the devotees.

Neither the Yogi Adityanath government in UP nor the local MP Hema Malini has addressed this problem of river pollution despite repeated demands and assurances, say angry locals.

But the water quality is so bad that every few days one hears of dead fish floating on the surface or getting swept to the banks.

The stink causes nausea and puts off the pilgrims who choose to return to their hotels and dharamshalas for the ritualistic bath.

The river is already dead in Vrindavan, declares Jagan Nath Poddar of the Friends of Vrindavan forum.

"With hardly any fresh raw water flowing, the stink at the ghats and the heaps of garbage are proving a nightmarish experience."