Neha Lalchandani, TNN
Yamuna Pollution is not the only problem plaguing the Yamuna. Upstream of Wazirabad, on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border — where till now the river had somehow managed to retain its free-flowing character before literally turning into a drain in the city — the sand mining mafia is clandestinely working to change the course of the river.
The river is silently being robbed off its sand right under the nose of the administration and police. In the Palla area, just before the river is channelled into the Wazirabad canal, a temporary bank has been created in the middle of the Yamuna to trap sand, effectively shifting its flow more towards the Delhi border and creating a small sand island. A couple of days after the police arrested four people for illegal sand mining in the area, TOI visited the spot only to find that there had been no change in the situation.
Two large cranes lifted sand from the river and loaded it in trucks that later drove off towards UP, all in the presence of cops. Police personnel pleaded helplessness saying that the men were operating from the UP side of the river.
‘‘We have been complaining to the flood control department about this for a while because we are not authorised to take action if the offence is carried out in the other state. The miners bring in huge machinery and carry away several truckloads of sand each day. At any point when they see the police approaching, they turn their cranes towards the UP side. Technically, the river comes under Delhi but again the police is not authorised to take action unless the agency concerned files a complaint with us,’’ said sources.
Each day, hundreds of truckloads of sand is being carried out by the miners, who police say are residents of nearby villages. Each truckload is sold for about Rs 800 on the outskirts of Delhi, basically for construction purposes.
Experts say that removing small amounts of sand from the river bed manually is not a problem since the flowing water keeps replenishing the sand. However, for a river like the Yamuna, which hardly has a water flow throughout the year, this can cause serious problems. ‘‘Usage of machinery is causing a change in the natural topography. Deep digging and drilling leads to formation of ponds and when the river floods at any point of time, there is a danger of it changing its course. This can prove to be catastrophic for the city infrastructure as well,’’ said Manoj Misra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Villagers farming in the area are equally affected by the mining since the heavy machinery that is used for digging ruins their fields. Some claim that their land has also been appropriated for use during mining. ‘‘Many of these men come in from the Delhi side,’’ they said, contrary to the police version. ‘‘We have caught some of them but then they damaged our fields and crops and we had to let them off,’’ said Pratap Chand, a farmer.
SDM of the area, Ashish Mohan, told TOI that his department would be taking strict action against the miners, even if that meant taking a boat across to the Delhi border and apprehending them there. ‘‘I have also written to the area DCP on Tuesday, asking him to appoint the Alipur SHO as the nodal officer for taking action in other such cases in future,’’ he said.
neha.lalchandani@timesgroup.com
Sunday, December 20, 2009
REPORT ON REVIEW OF PROGRESS AND PLANNING MEETING
(RIVER HEALTH INDEX (RHI) Project)
Date: 12.12.2009
Venue: Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi
Participants:
Ashwini Kumar Misra (AKM) – Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi (FLO at Agra)
Guddy Misra (GM) - Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi (FLO at Agra)
Ravi Singh (RS) – Farmer, Agra
Nishant Alag (NA) – Environics Trust (FLO at Dehradun)
Ravi Mittal (RM) – Environics Trust (FLO at Dehradun)
Manoj Srivastava (MS) – Easy Global Organisation (FLO at Allahabad)
Sushil Kumar Singh (SKS) – Easy Global Organisation (FLO at Allahabad)
Sunil Dutt Singh (SDS) - Easy Global Organisation (FLO at Allahabad)
Bhim Singh Rawat (BSR) – Project Executive, Delhi Grid, PEACE Institute
Manoj Misra (MM) – Team Leader, PEACE Institute
Pushp Jain (PJ) – Project Coordinator, PEACE Institute
Sitaram Taigor (ST) – Project Executive, PEACE Institute, FLO at Etawah
Sudha Mohan (SM) – Program Manager, PEACE Institute
Purpose:
The meet was held to:
a) Review progress achieved by different FLOs (Field Level partner Organisations)
b) Feedback on difficulties if any, being faced by the FLOs
c) Planning for future so that planned activities are completed in a timely manner
Method:
Team leaders / members of various FLOs presented on their progress and findings in form of a presentation. Each presentation was followed by discussions.
An open house at the end deliberated on the next steps.
Report:
During the day, five presentations were made by the field investigators representing different FLOs. The river has been classified into five segments as under for the convenience of project implementation:
Upper segment (upstream of Hathnikund Barrage) – (Environics Trust)
Plains segment (Downstream of Hathnikund till Greater NOIDA – (PEACE Institute)
Agra segment (Brij Bhumi and downstream of Agra) – (Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi)
Chambal-Betwa segment (Confluence of Chambal with Yamuna till Hamirpur) – (PEACE Institute)
Final segment (Kishanpur till Allahabad) – (Easy Global Organisation)
Representatives of various FLOs presented their progress and their findings. (copies attached).
Highlights of the presentations and the discussions following them are given below.
Upper Segment – Ravi Mittal and Nishant Alag (Environics Trust)
Selection of Grid
Two grids (villages along the river over a stretch of about 10 km) namely Hathyari (Grid 2) and Gojar (Grid 3) have been identified and field visits to them have been made.
Identification and field work in the Third Grid (downstream of Yamunotri) (Grid 1) is to be started.
Good profile of villages and river/water situation in the grid has been developed. Four visits have been made.
Five Eminent persons of the area including doctor, ex-army personnel, teacher etc have been identified for membership to the Yamuna Mitra Mandali (YMM).
Observations
The river forms an inter-state border between Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh along the area of Grid 2 and 3.
There has been drastic reduction in the flow in the river Yamuna as a result of construction of dams on tributaries and barrages on river Yamuna (at Dakpatthar) and on river Asan. Even the local raus (local nalla) and sot (springs and streams) have dried out.
Villages are small as the human population in villages is low.
Dependence of local people on the river for either drinking water purposes or for irrigation has gone down. People now depend more on tube wells and minor irrigation channels created under various government schemes.
Instances of petty crime (across the state borders) in the region have increased as the river no longer provides an insurmountable barrier to people.
Limitations
People have lost touch with the river and hence motivating them for the river is often time consuming.
Limestone mining and sand and boulder mining is of concern.
Next Steps
It was agreed that the FLO executants shall invest more time, attention and energies in ensuring a timely completion of all the activities under the project. The project field coordinator, Sri Pushp Jain shall also be closely associated with the future activities in this segment of the river.
Plain segment – Bhim Rawat (PEACE)
Grid 1 : Kanalsi (Yamuna Nagar)
Grid is well defined. Villages have been identified and their profile developed. Three visits to villages in the GRID have taken place.
Yamuna Mitra Mandli has been identified and the survey work under the project initiated to elicit people’s perception, closeness, dependence and understanding about their river.
Grid 2 : Tamsabad (Panipat)
Grid is well defined. Villages have been identified and their profile developed. Four visits to the villages have been made.
Yamuna Mitra Mandali has been partially identified and the survey work under the project initiated to elicit people’s perception, closeness, dependence and understanding about their river.
Grid 3 : Tilwara (Greater NOIDA/Faridabad)
Grid is well defined. Villages have been identified and their profile developed. A number of visits to the villages in the GRID have been made.
Membership to the Yamuna Mitra Mandali is underway and the survey work under the project initiated to elicit people’s perception, closeness, dependence and understanding about their river.
Observations
There is a high level of awareness and interest for the river amongst the local villagers since the condition of the river has deteriorated over the years.
The river forms an inter-state border between Haryana and UP in this stretch.
Agricultural practices in the area have been drastically altered due to high inputs and mechanization. Ground water is the key source of irrigation and all traditional water sources like wells, village ponds etc have lost their relevance, it seems.
Sand mining, encroachment over the river bed and the adverse impact of rapid urbanization on the river and the local people is discernible.
Next steps
Yamuna Mitra Mandalis to be firmed up.
Work on preparation of the Local area Action Plan (LAP) for the river in different GRIDS to be expedited in a focused and time bound manner.
Outreach and tangible gainful activities (for the villagers, their water bodies and the river) which can be facilitated right away to be promoted.
Agra Segment – Pandit Ashwini Mishra (Guru Vasisht Manav Sarvangin Vikas Sewa Samithi)
Grids Identification and outreach: Ovah (Grid 1) and Farah (Grid 2) (Braj Bhumi)
A number of field visits have helped in useful outreach with a number of villages lying all along the river belt.
Formation of Yamuna Mitra Mandali is in progress.
Observations
The river is in a very bad shape in terms of amount of water and high level of pollution in it.
It is only the religious sentiments of the people that keep them still related with the river.
People blame the cities like Delhi, Mathura and Agra for the ills facing the river.
The failure of the state led Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) has made the local people suspect any effort to revive the river. This includes any action by the NGOs too.
People do not see any advantage from the polluted river. On the contrary their agriculture and their livestock have suffered from intake of the polluted water.
Access to safe drinking water for people and livestock has taken on a major crisis form.
The much acclaimed Gokul Barrage downstream of Mathura over river Yamuna has resulted in more problems than any gains on account of the polluted nature of the river water which now has little ability to flow.
Next Steps
Formalising of the Yamuna Mitra Mandalis specific to the GRIDS. Completion of the survey works and the Local area Action Plan (LAP).
Sri Pushp Jain to guide and assist the FLO in timely completion of the works under the project.
Outreach and tangible gainful activities (for the villagers, their water bodies and the river) which can be facilitated right away to be promoted.
Chambal-Betwa Segment – Sita Ram Taigor (PEACE)
Grid 1 : Panchananda
Panchananda is named after the five rivers, Pahuj, Kunwari, Sind, Chambal and Yamuna.
Information on the Grid and the villages (There are six villages with population of 2535) in it along with a google map provides a good insight into the ground situation.
Number of meetings and Focussed Group Discussions (FGDs) at Kaleshwar Ki Gadi, Guthia Khad, Bhajanpura and Kanjousa held.
Congregation on the river bank on the occasion of Kartik Mela (village fair) at Kaleshwar Temple and Kanjousa Temple was successfully utilized as an outreach opportunity.
Yamuna Mitra Mandalis established and the field survey work completed
Grid 2 : Hamirpur
The Grid has six villages with a population of about 8000.
A number of meetings at Merapur, Bola ka Dera, Diggi ka dera, and Bilawa villages have resulted in formation of the Yamuna Mitra Mandalis and completion of the survey work.
Observations
The river Yamuna in this stretch has revived considerably after the confluence of river Chambal, Sindh and Betwa with it at different places.
Local people in general are aware of the polluted state of river Yamuna upstream of its confluence with river Chambal.
The flow in the river has considerably decreased over the years.
People depend on the river for various activities, like bathing, irrigation, fishing etc. The river is used as a medium of transportation.
Achievements during the period
Good networking with local administration and journalists. The Temple priests were sensitized against the disposal of left over of puja and other religious ceremonies in to the river. They are now advising people against such practices. One priest has declared that ‘No polythene should go the river’.
Media has shown interest in the activities of the Yamuna Mitra Mandali.
A girl has written a poem on Yamuna. Several people have made written suggestions on how to reduce pollution in the river.
A local official (SDM) has allotted land and the village Panchayat Sarpanch has agreed to fund the construction of a Crematorium worth Rs 50,000.
Next steps
The preparation of Local Area Action Plan (LAP) for the concerned GRIDS. Continued outreach with the Yamuna Mitra Mandali and promoting actions for the river.
Allahabad segment – Sri Manoj Srivastava (Easy Global Organisation)
Grid 1: Bikar (Jasri Block, 20 km form Allahabad)
Grid well defined and profile prepared. Awareness generation activities for the river amongst the villagers in the grid are in place. Local teachers have been involved for outreach as members of Yamuna Mitra Mandali.
A number of visits have been made to the villages.
Grid 2: Mau (Chitrakoot)
Grid well defined and the village/s profile prepared.
Awareness campaign is ongoing.
Grid 3 : Kishapur
Grid well defined and the village/s profile prepared.
Awareness campaign is ongoing.
Point 4 :Saraswati Ghat (Allahabad city)
On the Triveni Sangam. It is a popular spot lying on the river bank. Awareness campaign is in place.
Outreach and networking with Chief priest and the Military officials.
Observations
The river is in a fairly good shape, although the flow in the river has come down over the years.
Aquatic fauna notably a number of fishes and Gangetic Dolphin can be sighted in the river although crocodilians namely the magar and ghariyal are no longer found.
Sand mining is rampant and in many places is a major source of employment to the local people all along and over the river bed.
Local villagers have a ‘taken for granted’ attitude vis a vis the river. But the initiative for the river has been welcomed as a timely measure.
There were good participation and response to an essay competition organized for the river by the FLO.
A magazine (Global Green) brought out in Hindi by the FLO (Easy Global Organisation) is a popular means of dissemination of the information about the river to public at large.
Good networking with district and local administration has been achieved.
Efforts are on to get local solutions for problems people face.
Limitations
Outreach efforts were initially not very productive as local people were more concerned with seeking livelihood options than worrying about something which at the moment seemed of little concern.
Direct economic benefit is seen as key to any successful outreach for any program.
Next Steps
Establishment of functional Yamuna Mitra Mandalis in the GRIDS.
Completion of survey works and preparation of the (Local Area Action Plan) LAP for activities leading to the safety of the river.
The month of January 2010 with a major religious congregation to be used as an outreach opportunity.
Promotion of Dolphin Conservation in the area as a symbol of secure and living river.
Final discussions and consensus
1. All grids to be finalised. Outreach, awareness, sensitization activities and firming up of the Yamuna Mitra Mandali (YMM).
2. Survey questionnaire (circulated in the past) is only illustrative. It is meant to make the FLO and YMM aware of the informational requirements.
3. Survey analysis should be shared within larger gathering in the grid to fine tune and finalize the results.
4. It was agreed that the Draft LAP shall be in place by the first week of Feb 2010 and its final version by end Feb 2010.
5. It was informed that the next installment of the funds shall be sent to the FLOs account soonest the second installment was received from the funding source (UNDP SGP).
6. There was a suggestion for a monthly online ‘newsletter of the Yamuna Mitra Mandli’. Dr S. R. Taigor has kindly agreed to take up this responsibility.
7. The method of holding an essay competition (as successfully tried by the Easy Global Organisation) for raising awareness and involving youngsters was much appreciated. The FLO chief Sri Manoj Srivastava was requested to share his experience in the matter with all the other concerned.
8. On a suggestion, PJ agreed to prepare an executive summary of his new publication “Sick Yamuna, Sick Delhi” in Hindi for a wider circulation by the FLOs.
9. There was also a suggestion for exchange visits amongst the FLOs.
10. It was also agreed that efforts shall be made to prepare a ‘Yamuna New Year Calendar’ which could be used for outreach and awareness generation purposes.
The meet closed with MM thanking all for their time and interest for a successful meeting.
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