Yamuna in serious condition

Agra/Vrindavan 

 The Yamuna in Agra has turned black with heavy pollution and release of stored water from the Gokul barrage in Mathura.

Last few days the Agra Water Works has had to use more than 70 ppm chlorine and huge quantitities of alum and bleaching powder several times more than the permissible limits, according to chemists working there. "The stinking water is full of black impurities and flowing at a very slow speed. Obviously there has been discharge of effluents at some point upstream of Agra which needs to be looked into," said eco-activist Ravi Singh.

The general manager of the Water Works Jawahar Ram says the discharge in the river which is very low at the moment will increase by Saturday after more water is released from the Harnal Escape, close to Vrindavan, which is fed from a sub-canal of river Ganges.

A team of the UP Pollution Control Board found all the three sewage treatment plants closed and untreated sullage being discharged directly into the river, two days ago. The team on Friday took samples from a dozen points. "The city sewer and the open drains were polluting the river and there is no mechanism in place to control it. Year after year it is the same old story. All the three Yamuna Action Plans have proved futile. The river continues to be in worse shape and form unfortunately," said Shravan, of the Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water which has been involved in creating awareness in cities along the river bank.

The state pollution Board team identified 32 nullahs (drains) opening into the river in Agra area alone. Of these 14 are untapped and two others are new. The Board's senior scientist in Agra Dr BB Awasthi has now constituted a team to constantly monitor the health of the river and test samples. The reports would be sent to the divisional commissioner for action.

In the past few years there has been no action taken against the polluters. The river police which was specially constituted to deal with the polluters, is yet to take off. Hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent but the Yamuna continues to get dirtier.The Supreme Court had asked the state government to constitute a river police force to contain those who added to the pollution load on the Yamuna in any way.

But it has neither deterred washermen and cattleowners from using the river right behind the Taj, nor has it been able to stop people dumping rubble into the river after they have built or renovated their homes.

Two motorboats especially procured for the river police are gathering dust at the police lines. Since the Yamuna is now dry for much of the year, the boats got stuck in the shallows when they were last taken to the river six months back. This year the river flowed full for only 10 days after late rains in September.

Despite the orders of the Supreme Court, neither have dairies been shifted away from the river, nor have truck companies been asked to move. Cattle and trucks are washed in the river alike.

Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society president Surendra Sharma told IANS: "Official agencies are not serious about fighting river pollution. In the past two decades, they have made several announcements and hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent on questionable projects for river cleaning through various action plans, but the results so far have been zero."

The Yamuna Action Plans supported and floated a number of voluntary agencies to educate the people but the results somehow dont show. Local environmentalists feel  the plans being implemented for Yamuna cleaning suffer from structural defects. Also, one can sence an element of non-seriousness and deliberate attempts to scuttle commonsensical schemes. Ravi Singh, an eco-activist says "sometimes, they talk of turning the Yamuna into the Thames of London. Others paint grandiose plans to interlink rivers. The chief issue of pollution and putting in place a strict regime for punishment to those who pollute the community's water sources has been shoved in the background."

--Indo-Asian News Service

The dry Yamuna river bed and sizzling dust-laden winds from Rajasthan have raised air pollution in the Taj city to an alarming level, triggering concern over the safety of the white marble 17th century monument of love, the Taj Mahal.

Since the  quantity of dust particles classified as SPM and RSPM generally shoots up in summer months, the white surface of the Taj Mahal is sand blasted leaving behind pock marks, according to environmentalist Shravan Kumar Singh. 

What is flowing down in the river right now is not water. "This black liquid is highly toxic and polluted leaving a stink all around. Even bacterias are not able to survive in the river. All aqua-life is finished and periodically you keep hearing of fish deaths due to lack of Oxygen in the river water," says Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society. "The tourists who come to visit the Taj Mahal feel disgusted and express concern over the state of the river which is integral to the architectural design of the Taj Mahal complex," add tourist guide Ved Gautam. 

River activists have been demanding uninterrupted minimal flow in Yamuna to keep it alive and nurture not only aquatic life but also secure historical monuments along its banks including the  Taj Mahal.

In Vrindavan, a Yamuna conference of activists and saints of Braj mandal demanded restoration of ancient ghats as heritage, dredging of the river bed, and release of water from Hathini Kund. Acharya Srivatsa said "ignorance, apathy and hypocrisy were killing a living goddess Yamuna. Mathura-Vrindavan attract more visitors than Agra and most pilgrims who come are pained to see the pathetic state of river Yamuna."

In a resolution adopted unanimously, the conference demanded release of ten cumecs water by the Haryana government as directed by the National Green Tribunal. Also the central government should recognise Yamuna as a heritage entity. Friends of Vrindavan Convener Jagan Nath Poddar said "time had come for collective action for a comprehensive assault on polluters of Yamuna and compel the new rulers in Lucknow to bring water to Yamuna."

River activists Monday asked newly elected legislators of Agra to press for  sharing of water by downstream cities.  "if there is no water in Yamuna, there is a serious threat to the safety of Taj Mahal, Etmauddaula and Ram bagh. The moats of Agra Fort are dry. The Mughal heritage of the city is under threat from air and water pollution. The flood-plains of the river have been shamelessly usurped by realtors," they said.