Manmohan urged to save the Taj (Hindu 12 October 2011)

Smriti Kak Ramachandran
Alarmed over the threat to the historic Taj Mahal because of the drying of the Yamuna, a group of concerned citizens have asked for a White Paper on the river and its current state.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, they have said that a White Paper on the Yamuna will not only prove helpful in saving the river and the eco-system and heritage that it sustains but also help in framing policies in the future for river conservation.
“It is alarming that the Taj Mahal might just collapse or tilt because the river is drying up. If we don't take immediate steps, we might lose the heritage as well as the eco-systems along the river. There is a dire need to prepare a document on what has gone wrong with the river and what urgent steps should be taken to make amends,” said Manoj Misra, convenor of the non-government organisation Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, which is also a signatory to the letter.
Mr. Misra said the river has begun to run dry in the summer months over the past ten years, and attributed it to the construction of the Hathnikund barrage. “When Tajewala barrage was in use there was still enough water in the river to maintain the necessary flow. However, ever since the Hathnikund barrage has become functional, it has given Haryana a means to divert most of the water and left the river with no minimum flow.”
In the letter to the PM, the group said: “It is no secret that the rivers in the country are today in a highly-threatened state, with the Yamuna -- passing through the historic and holy cities of Delhi, Vrindavan, Mathura, Agra and hundreds of villages -- being the worst of them all.” So, they said, it did not come as a surprise when a question mark was raised recently on the future of the Taj Mahal which stands on the banks of the Yamuna in Agra.
Among the letter's signatories are Prakash Singh, former DGP (UP); Himanshu Thakkar of the NGO South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People; Madhu Bhaduri, former diplomat and ambassador; Anand Arya, environmentalist; Sureswar Sinha; and Yamuna Sewa Samiti, Haryana.