Life and times of a river and its people

Life and times of a river and its people

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Majnu Ka Tila: Historic to modern via filth and sewage


A filthy trickle of a channel that is called Yamuna flowed away from the bank. Watching over her students at the Yamuna floodplains at Majnu Ka Tila, Urmi Chakraborty went back in time.
Her first memory of the Yamuna was when she traveled from Dehradun to Delhi long time ago. Crossing the Yamuna bridge to enter Delhi, she came face to face with the black and filthy water, actually a big drain. “I was disheartened. This was not the river we taught in schools,” Urmi, now a teacher at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya (SPV), Lodi Colony recalled.


Majnu Ka Tila’s Tibetan Colony was the stop two on day one of the Yamuna Katha. Dorjee Khandup, resident welfare association’s Pradhan gave a brief history of the colony. The colony was set up with 361 families on 10.2 acre area in 1961. The Government of India gave them the place after several people fled Tibet following the Dalai Lama. 


Dorje Donghup giving insights in Majnu Ka Tila's history


A short tour of the colony and then, the Yamuna Katha members were at the riverfront. The access to the river was between two homesteads through a broken high brick wall. Rinzin Wangmo, president of the women’s association from the Tibetan colony explained, “This wall is to stop people from throwing garbage into the river. (But) it also has a negative fallout. Youngsters are hardly aware there is a river beyond.” 


Rinzin Wangmo giving insights on Majnu Ka Tila's resident's attitude towards Yamuna


For most present, this was possibly the first actual encounter with Yamuna riverfront. Vast expanse of soil-cum-sand neatly cut into rectangular or square plots for growing vegetables. Traces of garbage, filth marked the human imprint. A narrow raised dirt track through the farms led to the trickle of a river, stark black. Migrant labours had built kuchcha houses  (wooden shacks) on the floodplain and with minimal essential things carry out their lives for at least six months on the riverbank. 


Urmi’s fascination – nay passion – for rivers started with her days in West Bengal. Visit to the Ganges at Kolkata was a regular feature. Then with her husband’s transferable job, she moved to places and enjoyed rivers far and wide – Narmada at Ankaleshwar in Gujarat; “filthy” Brahmaputra at Guwahaty; Bindal at Dehradun, Ganges again at Haridwar. “I stayed at Dehradun for so long, went to Haridwar but never once for a dubki (holy dip in a sacred river),” she added.     


Although staying in Delhi since last three years, it was only recently that she came into direct contact with the Yamuna when students of class X eco-club were carrying out an ‘Urban Sanitation Project’. “Students are enthusiastic enough and have strong values too. But, we never brought any students to the riverfront. Now I think, I will ... specially to show them the visible difference ‘before’ and ‘after’ Wazirabad,” she promised.


Vidhu Narayanan, 39, Urmi’s colleague can identify with the “distance” between a citizen and the river. A typical Delhi girl, she spent her childhood in RK Puram government colony. In all her growing years, she remembered crossing the Yamuna only once to reach a place called Yamunapaar (trans-Yamuna). 


Vidhu Narayanan during a discussion with residents of the Tibetan colony


However, things changed when in 2003 she shifted into a flat at Mayur Vihar in east Delhi. “The first thing my husband and I noticed was the Yamuna from our back window,” she exclaimed.


Now, at the Majnu Ka Tila riverfront with hardly any water in the river, Vidhu was shocked. “During monsoon when the juggis (shanties) come to the road side, we know there is flood happening. I remember last year’s flood distinctly. The river was full of water. Where has the water gone now?”


“It is not a natural river anymore. There is a drain emptying sewage right downstream the Wazirabad barrage,” informed Dwijender Kalia, core group member and river specialist. 
Soaking in the experience, the students and the Yamuna Katha members explored every possible aspect of the riverfront. Nobody kept track of time and was reminded that food was waiting for them. Wonderful lunch at a Tibetan eatery followed.


Panel discussion: “Majnu ka Tila and Yamuna – Strong or loose connection?”


Post lunch session saw a panel discussion at the Tibetan school compound. GIZ’s Regina Dube introduced the topic. Dorje briefly talked how the colony has changed over the years and the problems they are facing currently owing to the narrow congested lanes and their equation with Yamuna.  


Rinzin said, “In order not to pollute Yamuna, we pick up the garbage and burn it. But it is the polluted water that comes from upstream is what disturbs me.


Burning garbage to avoid river pollution - reality in Majnu Ka Tila


Delhi Jal Board’s Ajay Gupta said, “Unplanned growth has led to the pollution. However, we are hopeful and confident that with the interceptor sewer programme under the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP), Yamuna will be clean in three-four years.”


Members of Delhi Jal Board engaging into the discussion


When it was suggested to Rinzin to go for composting at the farm plots at the riverfront, she immediately said those farms are not ours. This prompted GIZ’s Aparna Das to put a question: “Whose river is this?” 


Farm plots at the riverbank


Migration has prompted unplanned growth and led to heavy urbanisation. But this has happened so rapidly and therefore unplanned. Dwijender Kalia pointed out “The plan is always made for long a term. The DJB plan – YAP – is only for four years … any plan should be made for at least 40 years.”


Atul Jain, who works for promotion of organic farming explained, “ The river should not be looked as mere resource for drinking water … river’s have their own eco-system. Each stakeholder has a distinct role for ensuring a pollution free river.”


The message that everybody took home was: “It is possible.” 


To a question, can Yamuna be pollution free? Urmi affirmed, “Yes, one day for sure. But it is not for a single person to do this job. Everybody has to pitch in” even as Vidhu showed the way, “I have already started working on a module for my students”

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Wazirabad threshold: Yamuna before and after


Standing atop a bridge leading to a pumping station at Wazirabad water works, Rashid Khan, 65, looked with an intent gaze at the abundant water.


This was the Yamuna he remembered from his younger days when he was into keeping elephants. He had lived near the ITO bridge with elephants for almost 30 years. Around 10 years ago, the government forcibly evicted them. Long before coming to the Yamuna banks, Rashid and his family had stayed at Ashoka Hotel to enable haathi rides for foreign tourists. 
Over the years, Delhi has had just 8-10 families – all from the same clan and there were a total of 20-22 elephants. But only 10-12 elephants remain today. 
Looking at a bountiful Yamuna, Rashid recalled, “The elephants used to enjoy in monsoon the most, bathing for hours. In summers, it was the hand pump drilled into the Yamuna flood plain, which was used for bathing them.”


Rasheed Khan, Hathi Wallah


The spot where he was standing was part of Delhi Jal Board’s water treatment plant (WTP) at Wazirabad, where members of the Yamuna Katha have gathered at the first stop of day one.   
RK Garg, DJB’s member (water works) gave an elaborate explanation about the water supply system and various sources of water for the national capital. There were interesting nuggets of information like, as much as 40 % of Delhi’s water needs - 325 MGD is the quantity of raw water – comes from Yamuna, or, of the various water user states of Yamuna, Haryana gets 45 %, Uttar Pradesh 30 %, Delhi just 6 % and the rest is shared by Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. As much as 11 million cubic metres of water, i.e. almost 85 % of the water in the river in the entire year is contributed by rains. 
“In Delhi, up to 40-50 lakh people live in unauthorized colonies/slums in Delhi. Their sewage comes directly – untreated – to the river Yamuna,” he lamented. Immediately downstream of Wazirabad barrage start the various drains that empty Delhi’s sewage into the Yamuna. There is no natural water flow after this. 


R K Garg, member of DJB




Rashid nodded in agreement. Over the years he had seen the quality of Yamuna waters change from bad to worst. Overall, the quality of life on the Yamuna banks had changed for worst. Earlier, there was ample fodder for elephants. Fodder was patela – tall grass, sugarcane, jowar , bajra and even papal trees. “But more than anything else, slowly the pollution in Yamuna started taking its toll on the elephants’ skin,” Rashid rued. 
Dr Ritu Priya, public health specialist threw light on the history of Delhi as a capital city, specially, the city’s water history. There was a major cholera epidemic in the 1980s. “Over the ages, Delhi had always been a planned city. But in modern times, the unplanned growth has proved to be a major health hazard.” 


One of Rasheed's elephants getting prepared for a ride




For instance, British New Delhi had no place for class IV employees, she said. So they inhabited fringe colonies. These kind of colonies increased the quantity of untreated sewage being flown into the river. 
Her message: Go for de-centralisation of the water planning system. Second, use modern technology to do natural harvesting and revive natural streams. And last but never the least involve the citizens. “It should be part of the planning as to how we relate to the river,” she said.  


Dr Ritu Priya, JNU, public health specialist




But that is not the case. Government has taken over the ownership of the river from the community and hence restricted people’s access to the river. Rashid is a living example for it. With several government restrictions, there is hardly anyone in the elephant keeping business. The youngsters have turned to horse buggy business. 


Unaware of the plight of youngsters from elephant keeping families, another bunch of youngsters was quite gung ho about the Yamuna and ways to reduce pollution. Sardar Patel School from Lodi Colony had sent its students to Wazirabad WTP. The students – Abhilasha Bakre, Anshula Mehta, Ananjay Sharma, Adarsh Kumar Singh, Shrishti Banzal, Khushboo Chattree and Anoushka Kopila – all from class IX – made a presentation on the concept and their understanding of the National Urban Sanitation Policy vis-à-vis water distribution system, problems due to growing urbanization and possible solutions by community awareness. 


Then, DJB’s quality control officers Vinod Kumar and Pritam Singh showed the group around the water treatment plant, the various steps involved in water treatment. 
GIZ’s Regina Dube asserted it was important to understand the historical dimension for city’s sanitation history. “For the future, we need to understand and link the historical and the cultural dimensions. Also, people from the entire society need to sit together and come up with a developmental solution.”
Earlier, Arne Panesar from GIZ had pointed out how he had badly wanted to meet the haathiwala and ride elephant since he was in college. “The river is very much a symbol for many cities. But experts alone are not enough for thinking about rivers, we need people from all fields,” Panesar added.
Agreed Rashid, who is very clear about his ideas about the Yamuna: “Aadmi change hua, toh darya bhi hua (As the man changes, so has the river).”


So true, especially for Delhiites!!