Delhites the worst sufferer of Yamuna pollution/ NGT angry over govt’s inaction

Pollution is an issue which is directly connected with the lives of the citizens whether it’s the environmental pollution sound pollution or pollution of the rivers. Delhi these days is in the grip of polluted air due to just concluded Deepawali but even before and after the festival of cracker it’s creating havoc with the lives of its citizens as Delhites suffer the worst in terms of air and water pollution.

Hardly have we come out of the environmental pollution after Deepawali atleast minutely the National Green Tribunal which always takes care of the peoples’ health through its revolutionery orders to descipline and caution the pollution control agencies and government departments has yesterday casted serious aspersion on the Delhi government, the Delhi jal Board and other departments like DDA for not adequately complying with its orders to clean the river Yamuna and the major Najafgarh, Barapullah and other drains of Delhi whose untrated highly poisonous and hazardous water in myriad quantity flows into Yamuna to make it a river with poisonous pollutants highly disastrous for the health of Delhi citizens.

The 6000 crore project of the Delhi government under the charge of the then minister of Delhi government Kapil Mishra who is no more in AAP has gone into rough weather after the Delhi government had started an inquiry over the alleged corruption of several crores in DJB in connection with the water treatment plants to be constructed in cleaning of the bad water of the Najafgarh and other major drains of Delhi whose unsilted and higly poisionous water flows into river Yamuna.

The Delhi government has last year allocated the necessary fund to DJB for clean Yamuna programme but got inordinately delayed inviting the wrath of the NGT. Number of attempts were also made earlier to clean Yamuna through world bank aid of Rs 1500 crores but large scale mismanagement and corruption led to the Yamuna river being more polluted even today. Number of NGOS too get enough funds from the governmental sources but of no avail.

The condition of Yamuna at Nigam Bodh Ghat side where cremations take place is quite aweful with tons of heaps of waste materials, plastics, waste clothings , and even half burned bodies lying unattended and eaten by stray dogs could be witnessed at isolated river side spots. Hundreds of idols during Durga Puja, Ganeshotsav etc are immersed in Yamuna. Hundreds of thousands of litres of poisonous water from the drains of various parts of Delhi is flowed into Yamuna with no regulation.

The NGT has been issuing stringent directives and imposing heavy fines on the defaulters but the action at the level of the state authorities is so complacent and ignorant that the matter of YAMUNA cleansing gets delayed year after year and by the time the governments, officials and situations change.

But this time the NGT judge Swantra Kumar is extremely serious and has asked the CEO of Delhi Jal Board to file the reply in 10 days as to when would they finally finish the rejuvenation of Yamuna programme.

SUNIL NEGI