Just wading into river, little water (Time of India 07 October 2011)

Jayashree Nandi & Indrani Basu, TNN Oct 7, 2011, 05.25AM IST toireporter@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: After Durga was immersed with festive fervour, devotees bent their heads reverentially for the sprinkling of 'holy water'. But they were in fact breathing stench and getting sprayed with drain water. The Yamuna seemed like a dirty nullah choked and frothing with filth and scum.
And what's shocking, the water level has receded to such low levels that devotees were seen wading in the middle of the river, the water barely touching their knees.
"There will probably be a time when we won't need boats. And it's just not about the water level, the stench here is unbearable. We spend our days here and pollution is killing the river," said Vikas Paswan, a boatman at Kalindi Kunj ghat.
The ambitious New Ganga and Yamuna Action Plans have still not been able to bring the river back from the brink. And activists say speedy implementation of the plan can still save the Yamuna.
"There are several reasons for the receding water levels. Water is diverted into Yamuna's tributaries like Renuka, which is also dying due to lack of natural water source. Rising population and depleting agricultural land are also exerting pressure on the river," said Puran Chand, an activist of the Renuka Bandh Sangharsh Samiti.
Experts say the city is hardly equipped to treat waste water. "Under the Water Pollution Act, 1974, it is illegal to dump untreated water. The national capital is setting the worst example by not treating waste water. Even the small amount that is treated is released into the untreated waste water that defeats the entire purpose. The river does not belong to the Delhi alone. There are a lot of excuses offered by authorities, including migration and overpopulation for not treating water, but it has been many years and the situation is just getting worse," said Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator for South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.
Environmentalists say there is almost no fresh water in the Yamuna today. With fresh water diverted from Wazirabad for urban use, the water flowing downstream carries untreated pollutants from Delhi. The urban and industrial waste and drain water from Najafgarh pass through Kalindi Kunj ghat.