Field visit report
(River Health Index Project)
Visit made to Tilwara village (Greater NOIDA) at the confluence point of
Date: 10 April 2009
Venue: Village Tilwara (Greater NOIDA)
Purpose: The purpose of the visit was to familiarize oneself with the ground situation at one of the 14 grid sites on the river Yamuna. This is to focus attention at one site with an objective to develop the suggested guidelines for field work aimed at the formulation of Micro (local level) Action Plan/s in a consistent manner at all the 14 sites along the river in collaboration with the local partner organizations.
The Micro-Plans for the identified river stretches thus selected would have the following two outputs:
A plan for action for the river as developed by the villagers themselves
Potential ‘Principles’, ‘Indicators’ and ‘Verifiers’ as they emerge through the participatory Micro (local level)-planning exercise leading to the formulation of a River Health Index (RHI)
Methodology:
A perusal of the topo map and the road map enabled us to identify the location of the confluence of river Hindon (the only tributary of river Yamuna in the plains) with the river Yamuna, as well as the human habitations nearby and the probable route to it. (see enclosed topo map). It was found that village Tilwara, which sits almost on the river bank of both river Hindon and river Yamuna on the left of the river Yamuna, is the site to visit.
It was decided that it being more of a recce visit, the emphasis will be on developing a visual picture of the site, interact with the local villagers and determine their level of interest in working towards a common objective of improved understanding of the reasons for the current sad fate of both the river Hindon and the Yamuna and jointly agree on the most feasible size of the grid around the river (covering both the left and the right bank of river Yamuna) where the larger consultation process would be put in place leading to the development of a participatory Micro Plan for the river.
Report:
A five member team comprising of Mr. Pushp Jain (PJ); Mr Bhim Rawat (BR); Ms Sudha Mohan (SM); Sri Bhoop Singh ji (BS), an elderly villager from Samaspur Jagir village in east Delhi and Mr. Manoj Misra (MM) made a visit to the confluence point of River Yamuna with River Hindon.
The team left for the place in the wee hours of morning of 10 April 2009. Having driven on Greator Noida Express way for about an hour it reached the point where River Hindon passes under the Greater Noida Express way next to village Kondli. Before turning towards a bund being used as a temporary road, which ultimately leads to the confluence point, we stopped by the road side to take stock of the state of the River Hindon. (see pics).
The state of the river Hindon was found to be a typical picture of careless disregard for our rivers with its waters full of pollutants of all kinds and its flood plain being used as a dumping site for dead livestock as confirmed by the swarming stray dogs devouring a carcass of a skinned livestock. (see pics). Not only was agriculture seen being practiced in the river Hindon flood plains, but beginnings of urbanization slowly creeping in through fancy resorts could be seen.
Later as we travelled over a bund that cuts through the flood plain of the river Hindon before reaching its confluence with the river Yamuna we could sight Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) roaming on the farm lands within the flood plains. (see pics).Views of Nilgai against the back drop of high rises of Greater NOIDA presented a compelling yet ironical sight and only bears testimony to the hardy nature of Nilgai as a wild species.
At the confluence the river Yamuna (after receiving waste waters of Faridabad township courtesy the Bhuriya nala or Tilpat drain meeting it on its right bank) carried a reasonable amount of water but its flow was almost imperceptible. On the other hand the river Hindon carried less water but greater flow velocity. (see pics).
It was fortuitous that we met few young farmers belonging to the village Tilwara (on their way to their village along the river and using a buffalo cart to cross over the river Hindon – see pics) and during conversations encouraged us to visit their village. They also informed us that despite the river Hindon being quite polluted still as compared to river Yamuna they preferred to use River Hindon water for cattle cleaning etc. Herd of cattle could be seen roaming along the shores of river Yamuna, grazing and even drinking the water. That they could easily cross the river over to the other bank indicated the low depth of the river. Use of tube-wells, tractors and harvesters in nearby fields (see pics) indicated the extent of mechanization in agriculture that has reached the rural areas in question.
We re-tracked the dusty bund to get into the village Gharbara and further onto Tilwara to meet the other villagers there. (see pics). Soon a group of farmers gathered around for an informal round of discussions and familiarization with each other.
The interaction started with a rough participatory mapping of the area (see pic) by the villagers sharing information about other nearby villages and notable physical features (including a Reserve Forest) on either side of the river Yamuna. Slowly a picture emerged as did the probable size of the grid that we were looking forward to. It was agreed that a grid with 10 km on either side of the river is the viable size to arrive at a fairly good understanding of the state of the river as well as of the proximate and non proximate causes that are impacting the river and the manner in which the river is impacting the people who live on its banks.
Discussions revealed that Tilwara on the river bank is more than 100 year old village but now majority of the villagers from there have shifted to the nearby Garbhara village which is as a result grown into a 1000 plus household village. A view from Tilwara towards Greater NOIDA provides a good indicator of the manner in which the urban settlements are slowly eating into the rural landscapes (see pics).
We were informed that the water table at Tilwara despite it lying close to both river Hindon as well as the river Yamuna has plummeted down to 120 feet from an earlier depth of around 40 feet. A dried well, which at one point met the entire fresh water needs of the village was a sad commentary on the manner in which the ground water sources have been over exploited over time. (see pics). That the quality of the ground water is also suspect (due primarily to the polluted state of both the river Hindon and Yamuna) was made evident by the villagers in no uncertain terms. They were also critical of the rampant pollution let loose into the Kasna nala by the industries upstream that on occasions make even breathing impossible due to the stench emanating from the nala. The nala it may be noted drains into the river Hindon. (see pics).
Further discussions revealed about the extent of the flood plains on either side of the river Yamuna and the fact that the entire area (including upland villages of Kasna and Dankaur) had gone under deep waters during the 1978 floods which has been the most severe floods in river Yamuna in recent times. It was seen as a sad irony that the only well that had sustained the entire village during said floods was today in a state of utter disuse as a result of lowering of the water table.
There were two hand pumps in the village compound one drawing water from shallow depth (called Kacha Pani) and the other from greater depths. (The meaning and usefulness of Kacha pani and Pakka pani needs further elaboration during future visits).
On the adverse impact from pollution in the river the villagers shared their experience of cracks developing in the skins of their livestock and rashes on their own skin once they come in touch with the river’s water.
Hari lumbardar who was the oldest man (see pic) (over 80 years in age) in the group remembered fondly of the times when the river waters were crystal clear and what a pleasure was it to be living along side such a life giving river. In contrast the present situation of the river had made the majority of the farmers to abandon the village. The villagers also attributed a significant change in the frequency and intensity of rains in the region over the years as a cause for the sad state of the river.
Before leaving, we shared contact details with the villagers and were reassured with their eagerness to share their understanding about the situation with us and to then take required steps for the revival of the river.
As a first measure the villagers expressed great interest in a suggestion from one of our team members that they (the villagers) may make a beginning by questioning the potential candidates (when they visit their village seeking votes) at the ensuing General Elections, as to where did they stand on the question of the river’s pollution and whether they (the candidates) were willing to make a written commitment for doing the needful, once they were elected to the Parliament.
Over all it proved to be a good first visit to a site with all the requisite features of a proposed Grid for Micro (local level)- action planning purposes under the project.
Key observations from the visit
River Hindon as well as river Yamuna is in a highly polluted state.
Rampant construction activity including for industries, townships, roads and bridges have not only obstructed the free flowing waters of the rivers but also polluted the river’s water.
River bed is being used for agriculture and sand mining as well as wantonly abused for civil constructions.
There is hardly any discernible riparian zone (with representative natural vegetation of khaddar) available along the river, with agriculture being practiced almost till the river channel.
Agriculture in the area is overwhelmingly inorganic in nature with high use of fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides. Wheat crop could be seen under harvest.
Farmers reportedly lift water directly form the river for agriculture purposes.
Floods plain has been restricted through bunds and roads and agriculture is being practiced on either side of the bunds.
Tilwara is an old village with few remaining households. Pollution and floods in the river have compelled most villagers to shift to the other villages.
Most villagers are semi-literate.
There is significant reduction in annual rain-fall as per the observations of the local villagers.
25-30 years ago both the rivers were quite clean. The pollution in Kasna nala that feeds the river Hindon has increased manifolds from the industrial effluents being dumped into it.
People are suffering as a result of pollution in the river but feel generally helpless. There was a general feeling that the incidence of diseases in the region has increased attributed to the high pollution levels in the river/s.
NEXT STEPS
a) Devise a framework Guidelines document for Micro (local level)-Action Planning within an identified Grid based on the learnings from the current visit.
b) Hold a larger and longer (over a number of days at a stretch) consultation in and around the village Tilwara on the left bank of river Yamuna.
c) Identify volunteers from within the community who can help the field researcher gather a set of relevant information (see the attached list of things to do). This group of not more 5 on either side of the river within the Grid shall be termed as the Local task team.
d) Visit areas (village Aminpur) across the river Yamuna (in Haryana) and set up a task team on the right bank too.
(River Health Index Project)
Visit made to Tilwara village (Greater NOIDA) at the confluence point of
Date: 10 April 2009
Venue: Village Tilwara (Greater NOIDA)
Purpose: The purpose of the visit was to familiarize oneself with the ground situation at one of the 14 grid sites on the river Yamuna. This is to focus attention at one site with an objective to develop the suggested guidelines for field work aimed at the formulation of Micro (local level) Action Plan/s in a consistent manner at all the 14 sites along the river in collaboration with the local partner organizations.
The Micro-Plans for the identified river stretches thus selected would have the following two outputs:
A plan for action for the river as developed by the villagers themselves
Potential ‘Principles’, ‘Indicators’ and ‘Verifiers’ as they emerge through the participatory Micro (local level)-planning exercise leading to the formulation of a River Health Index (RHI)
Methodology:
A perusal of the topo map and the road map enabled us to identify the location of the confluence of river Hindon (the only tributary of river Yamuna in the plains) with the river Yamuna, as well as the human habitations nearby and the probable route to it. (see enclosed topo map). It was found that village Tilwara, which sits almost on the river bank of both river Hindon and river Yamuna on the left of the river Yamuna, is the site to visit.
It was decided that it being more of a recce visit, the emphasis will be on developing a visual picture of the site, interact with the local villagers and determine their level of interest in working towards a common objective of improved understanding of the reasons for the current sad fate of both the river Hindon and the Yamuna and jointly agree on the most feasible size of the grid around the river (covering both the left and the right bank of river Yamuna) where the larger consultation process would be put in place leading to the development of a participatory Micro Plan for the river.
Report:
A five member team comprising of Mr. Pushp Jain (PJ); Mr Bhim Rawat (BR); Ms Sudha Mohan (SM); Sri Bhoop Singh ji (BS), an elderly villager from Samaspur Jagir village in east Delhi and Mr. Manoj Misra (MM) made a visit to the confluence point of River Yamuna with River Hindon.
The team left for the place in the wee hours of morning of 10 April 2009. Having driven on Greator Noida Express way for about an hour it reached the point where River Hindon passes under the Greater Noida Express way next to village Kondli. Before turning towards a bund being used as a temporary road, which ultimately leads to the confluence point, we stopped by the road side to take stock of the state of the River Hindon. (see pics).
The state of the river Hindon was found to be a typical picture of careless disregard for our rivers with its waters full of pollutants of all kinds and its flood plain being used as a dumping site for dead livestock as confirmed by the swarming stray dogs devouring a carcass of a skinned livestock. (see pics). Not only was agriculture seen being practiced in the river Hindon flood plains, but beginnings of urbanization slowly creeping in through fancy resorts could be seen.
Later as we travelled over a bund that cuts through the flood plain of the river Hindon before reaching its confluence with the river Yamuna we could sight Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) roaming on the farm lands within the flood plains. (see pics).Views of Nilgai against the back drop of high rises of Greater NOIDA presented a compelling yet ironical sight and only bears testimony to the hardy nature of Nilgai as a wild species.
At the confluence the river Yamuna (after receiving waste waters of Faridabad township courtesy the Bhuriya nala or Tilpat drain meeting it on its right bank) carried a reasonable amount of water but its flow was almost imperceptible. On the other hand the river Hindon carried less water but greater flow velocity. (see pics).
It was fortuitous that we met few young farmers belonging to the village Tilwara (on their way to their village along the river and using a buffalo cart to cross over the river Hindon – see pics) and during conversations encouraged us to visit their village. They also informed us that despite the river Hindon being quite polluted still as compared to river Yamuna they preferred to use River Hindon water for cattle cleaning etc. Herd of cattle could be seen roaming along the shores of river Yamuna, grazing and even drinking the water. That they could easily cross the river over to the other bank indicated the low depth of the river. Use of tube-wells, tractors and harvesters in nearby fields (see pics) indicated the extent of mechanization in agriculture that has reached the rural areas in question.
We re-tracked the dusty bund to get into the village Gharbara and further onto Tilwara to meet the other villagers there. (see pics). Soon a group of farmers gathered around for an informal round of discussions and familiarization with each other.
The interaction started with a rough participatory mapping of the area (see pic) by the villagers sharing information about other nearby villages and notable physical features (including a Reserve Forest) on either side of the river Yamuna. Slowly a picture emerged as did the probable size of the grid that we were looking forward to. It was agreed that a grid with 10 km on either side of the river is the viable size to arrive at a fairly good understanding of the state of the river as well as of the proximate and non proximate causes that are impacting the river and the manner in which the river is impacting the people who live on its banks.
Discussions revealed that Tilwara on the river bank is more than 100 year old village but now majority of the villagers from there have shifted to the nearby Garbhara village which is as a result grown into a 1000 plus household village. A view from Tilwara towards Greater NOIDA provides a good indicator of the manner in which the urban settlements are slowly eating into the rural landscapes (see pics).
We were informed that the water table at Tilwara despite it lying close to both river Hindon as well as the river Yamuna has plummeted down to 120 feet from an earlier depth of around 40 feet. A dried well, which at one point met the entire fresh water needs of the village was a sad commentary on the manner in which the ground water sources have been over exploited over time. (see pics). That the quality of the ground water is also suspect (due primarily to the polluted state of both the river Hindon and Yamuna) was made evident by the villagers in no uncertain terms. They were also critical of the rampant pollution let loose into the Kasna nala by the industries upstream that on occasions make even breathing impossible due to the stench emanating from the nala. The nala it may be noted drains into the river Hindon. (see pics).
Further discussions revealed about the extent of the flood plains on either side of the river Yamuna and the fact that the entire area (including upland villages of Kasna and Dankaur) had gone under deep waters during the 1978 floods which has been the most severe floods in river Yamuna in recent times. It was seen as a sad irony that the only well that had sustained the entire village during said floods was today in a state of utter disuse as a result of lowering of the water table.
There were two hand pumps in the village compound one drawing water from shallow depth (called Kacha Pani) and the other from greater depths. (The meaning and usefulness of Kacha pani and Pakka pani needs further elaboration during future visits).
On the adverse impact from pollution in the river the villagers shared their experience of cracks developing in the skins of their livestock and rashes on their own skin once they come in touch with the river’s water.
Hari lumbardar who was the oldest man (see pic) (over 80 years in age) in the group remembered fondly of the times when the river waters were crystal clear and what a pleasure was it to be living along side such a life giving river. In contrast the present situation of the river had made the majority of the farmers to abandon the village. The villagers also attributed a significant change in the frequency and intensity of rains in the region over the years as a cause for the sad state of the river.
Before leaving, we shared contact details with the villagers and were reassured with their eagerness to share their understanding about the situation with us and to then take required steps for the revival of the river.
As a first measure the villagers expressed great interest in a suggestion from one of our team members that they (the villagers) may make a beginning by questioning the potential candidates (when they visit their village seeking votes) at the ensuing General Elections, as to where did they stand on the question of the river’s pollution and whether they (the candidates) were willing to make a written commitment for doing the needful, once they were elected to the Parliament.
Over all it proved to be a good first visit to a site with all the requisite features of a proposed Grid for Micro (local level)- action planning purposes under the project.
Key observations from the visit
River Hindon as well as river Yamuna is in a highly polluted state.
Rampant construction activity including for industries, townships, roads and bridges have not only obstructed the free flowing waters of the rivers but also polluted the river’s water.
River bed is being used for agriculture and sand mining as well as wantonly abused for civil constructions.
There is hardly any discernible riparian zone (with representative natural vegetation of khaddar) available along the river, with agriculture being practiced almost till the river channel.
Agriculture in the area is overwhelmingly inorganic in nature with high use of fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides. Wheat crop could be seen under harvest.
Farmers reportedly lift water directly form the river for agriculture purposes.
Floods plain has been restricted through bunds and roads and agriculture is being practiced on either side of the bunds.
Tilwara is an old village with few remaining households. Pollution and floods in the river have compelled most villagers to shift to the other villages.
Most villagers are semi-literate.
There is significant reduction in annual rain-fall as per the observations of the local villagers.
25-30 years ago both the rivers were quite clean. The pollution in Kasna nala that feeds the river Hindon has increased manifolds from the industrial effluents being dumped into it.
People are suffering as a result of pollution in the river but feel generally helpless. There was a general feeling that the incidence of diseases in the region has increased attributed to the high pollution levels in the river/s.
NEXT STEPS
a) Devise a framework Guidelines document for Micro (local level)-Action Planning within an identified Grid based on the learnings from the current visit.
b) Hold a larger and longer (over a number of days at a stretch) consultation in and around the village Tilwara on the left bank of river Yamuna.
c) Identify volunteers from within the community who can help the field researcher gather a set of relevant information (see the attached list of things to do). This group of not more 5 on either side of the river within the Grid shall be termed as the Local task team.
d) Visit areas (village Aminpur) across the river Yamuna (in Haryana) and set up a task team on the right bank too.
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