Human chain planned on Jun 4 to highlight Yamuna’s plight

New Delhi: A group of concerned citizens is rallying thousands of people to form a 22-kilometer-long human chain on the banks of the Yamuna on June 4 to draw attention to the sorry state of the river plagued by pollution and degradation.

The chain will extend from Wazirabad to Okhla in Delhi, a 22-kilometer stretch which accounts for 75 per cent of the river’s pollution load. Twenty-two drains fall into the river in this stretch.

This will probably be the biggest such effort to sensitize the people of Delhi and ensure their participation in cleaning the Yamuna in the capital, said members of “Yamuna Sansad”, a campaign by environmentalists, conservationists, academicians and researchers working to revive the river.

Experts say untapped wastewater from unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhopri clusters, and poor quality of treated wastewater discharged from Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) is the main reason behind high levels of pollution in the river.

The river can be considered fit for bathing if biological oxygen demand is less than 3 milligram per litre and dissolved oxygen is greater than 5 milligram per litre.

“At 6.30 am on June 4, a 22-km-long human chain will be formed on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi. Around one lakh people will stand hand in hand between Wazirabad and Kalindi, pledging to keep the Yamuna river clean. The purpose is to sensitize the people to work in this direction,” said K N Govindacharya, former general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a member of the ‘Yamuna Sansad’.

Ravishankar Tiwari, the coordinator of ‘Yamuna Sansad’, said it will probably be the biggest campaign so far to sensitize the people of Delhi about the current situation of the Yamuna river.

Waterman Rajendra Singh, environmentalist Ravi Chopra, Manoj Mishra of ‘Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan’, Sanjay Singh of ‘Jal Jan Jodo Abhiyaan’, Prof. Ram Kumar Singh of Patna Central University and environmental science experts from Delhi University are looking at the technical aspects of this campaign.

“A report highlighting the reasons for massive pollution in the river’s Delhi stretch is also being prepared. This report will be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, Water Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and chief ministers of basin states,” he said.

The campaign calls for removal of encroachment on the river floodplains, improving the sewer network and sewage treatment plants in the capital, stopping the direct discharge of industrial effluent into the river in Haryana and Delhi, developing biodiversity parks on the floodplains, ensuring environmental flow and making the polluters pay.

Delhi generates around 770 million gallons a day (MGD) of sewage. The 35 STPs located at 20 locations across Delhi can treat up to 630 MGD of sewage and have been utilising around 85 per cent of their capacity. The rest of the untreated sewage falls into the river directly.

Delhi generates around 770 MGD of sewage. The 35 STPs located at 20 locations across Delhi can treat up to 630 MGD of sewage and have been utilising around 85 per cent of their capacity. The rest of the untreated sewage falls into the river directly.