BY THE EDITOR
During long spell of dry season most of the streams and rivers in India look like any stretch of land devoid of any living species and people can walk freely across without any hindrance. Due to reckless attitude by inhabitants at the upper region and along river banks human waste and garbage being released and thrown carelessly into the rivers are polluting the water and rendering it unfit for human consumption. Silt accommodation and solid waste are making the rivers more shallow rendering navigation dangerous and risky. Famous Yamuna river on the banks of which which the historical Taj Mahal stands is slowly dying because water is shrinking during lean season though at times when heavy monsoon approaches the furies of nature spare no one causing great disaster everywhere. Besides mud and filth the river is now also full of insecticides and pesticides washed down fom the farming areas. Researchers and river activists who have drilled the ground narrated that they have found plenty of plastic, polythene, waste leather cuttings from shoe factories etc up to about 10 feet under the river bed. Concerned public have raised voices from time to time for cleaning and reviving the river but to no avail. Unless and until government seriously takes urgent safety measures Taj Mahal is really in great danger.
Illegal mining of sand persists in the open and it seems as if no one cares at all with the exception of a few solitary voices. Emboldened sand mafia indulges in greater volume using heavy machineries beyond government regulations which stipulate that mining should be permitted only up to three feet depth in the Yamuna region. Yet unmindful of the rules and regulations these lawbreakers continue to excavate to a depth of 60-80 feet for extracting coarse sand and on average sand valued at Rs 30 lakh is plundered every day. Therefore presence of deep pits can cause risks to public who go to wash clothes or take bath in the river banks. Removing pebbles, which impede flow of river, causes soil erosion. Along with sand the mining mafia also takes stones from the river disrupting natural system of oxygenation within the water affecting fish population and dolphins are on the verge of extinction.
Until 2010 local boatmen from Mallah and Kewat communities had depended much by catching fish for their livelihood which sadly had greatly dwindled. Left with no option they are now switching over to farming which however gradually became impossible as the mining mafia started encroaching into these territories also. In spite of various complaints made to government yet there is no action and it seems that there is complicity of local authorities. In previous years trees were planted by different organisations including government agencies along the Yamuna’s stretch to prevent soil erosion, attract birds and preserving the ecosystem. But due to no follow-up action even the trees have disappeared.