I feel bad for the 'disconnect' between the Yamuna and Delhi's aam janta more than anything. Delhi has been a capital city of several dynasties and Yamuna's river fronts at various times have played an important role.
However, when Britishers built the 'New Delhi' in the 20th century, they somehow "missed" the connection. So, today, it is only occasionally that common Delhiites reach the Yamuna banks (the real river bank and not the metro station of the same name).
'Idyllic' at Ramghat, a small ghat upstream of Wazirabad water works.
And then, after Wazirabad, the river is dead. Immediately 50 metres downstream of the Wazirabad barrage joins in the first drain emptying sewage into the Yamuna. Official statistics show that Delhi has just only 2 % of the length of Yamuna but contributes to 90 % of its pollution.
Recently, coinciding with Yamuna Jayanti (Yamuna's birthday) in the last week of March, a group of religio-environmentalist and also Yamuna devotees from Braj went all the way up to Hathni Kund, some 200 kms north of Delhi to find out how and where their beloved 'Yamunaraani' is lost. Braj area, 3,800-odd sq kms, is home to popular pilgrim places such as Vrindavan associated with Lord Krishna. IT attracts 40 lakh pilgrims annually.
The national capital that Delhi is, it has till date gotten away with such criminal pollution. Hundreds and thousands of crores of rupees have literally gone down the drain and even then, this is what all that remains in the name of the Yamuna.
However, when Britishers built the 'New Delhi' in the 20th century, they somehow "missed" the connection. So, today, it is only occasionally that common Delhiites reach the Yamuna banks (the real river bank and not the metro station of the same name).
'Idyllic' at Ramghat, a small ghat upstream of Wazirabad water works.
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| Ram ghat again ... alive and full of cultural symbols |
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| One of the drains bringing sewage into the Yamuna 24X7 |
Recently, coinciding with Yamuna Jayanti (Yamuna's birthday) in the last week of March, a group of religio-environmentalist and also Yamuna devotees from Braj went all the way up to Hathni Kund, some 200 kms north of Delhi to find out how and where their beloved 'Yamunaraani' is lost. Braj area, 3,800-odd sq kms, is home to popular pilgrim places such as Vrindavan associated with Lord Krishna. IT attracts 40 lakh pilgrims annually.
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| The filthy drain that Yamuna resembles just downstream of the Okhla barrage |
The national capital that Delhi is, it has till date gotten away with such criminal pollution. Hundreds and thousands of crores of rupees have literally gone down the drain and even then, this is what all that remains in the name of the Yamuna.
