WHY DID WE KILL OUR SACRED RIVERS
People living in and around Delhi know about the pathetic condition of River Yamuna. What was once a mighty river, now looks no better than a large drain, as it passes through Delhi.The condition of the Holy River Ganga (Ganges) is no better as may be seen near Kanpur. Various authorities and even courts have been making efforts for reviving these two sacred rivers (and the other rivers too) but nothing seems to be working even after thousands of crores of rupees have reportedly been spent for this purpose during the last few decades. As may be seen easily, the basic reason for this condition of our rivers, be it Sacred Ganga, Yamuna, or other rivers, is the fact that their entire water has been diverted for irrigation. Nothing wrong with having a network of canals, but why are we not giving any thought to the simple fact that these rivers will not become lively clean rivers again until and unless there is regular and continuous availability of a certain minimum quantum of water round the year. Most people taking their holy dip at Hari Ji Ki Pauri at Haridwar fail to realise that it is canal and not river. The fact is that all the water of Ganga is diverted to canals here and whatever water remains in the original river is diverted again at few more places downstream. Hence, seeing even a small amount of water flowing in Ganga at Kanpur is pure surprise. Likewise, water of Yamuna is diverted at Hathinikund and Tajewala and it is completely dry thereafter. One can verify this while traveling by road between Yamuna Nagar and Saharanpur. The courts should worry about the fact that much of the water seen in Yamuna at Wazirabad is nothing but waste water emptied in to the dry riverbed by the drains coming from Panipat. Amicus curai appointed by court may consider to see and videograph the difference in water level of Yamuna before and after it is joined by Chambal in Bundelkhand, near Etawah. After having seen Yamuna at Delhi and Agra and Ganga at Kanpur, it was soothing to see a free flowing Chambal in Rajasthan. Please visit the historic city of Dholpur to see it for yourself. At times, I wish all of India was dry desert like Rajasthan, because only facing the scarcity of water can teach us Indians to learn the value of water and the importance of our rivers. Reviving the rivers is essential if we have an iota of concern for our future generations.
People living in and around Delhi know about the pathetic condition of River Yamuna. What was once a mighty river, now looks no better than a large drain, as it passes through Delhi.The condition of the Holy River Ganga (Ganges) is no better as may be seen near Kanpur. Various authorities and even courts have been making efforts for reviving these two sacred rivers (and the other rivers too) but nothing seems to be working even after thousands of crores of rupees have reportedly been spent for this purpose during the last few decades. As may be seen easily, the basic reason for this condition of our rivers, be it Sacred Ganga, Yamuna, or other rivers, is the fact that their entire water has been diverted for irrigation. Nothing wrong with having a network of canals, but why are we not giving any thought to the simple fact that these rivers will not become lively clean rivers again until and unless there is regular and continuous availability of a certain minimum quantum of water round the year. Most people taking their holy dip at Hari Ji Ki Pauri at Haridwar fail to realise that it is canal and not river. The fact is that all the water of Ganga is diverted to canals here and whatever water remains in the original river is diverted again at few more places downstream. Hence, seeing even a small amount of water flowing in Ganga at Kanpur is pure surprise. Likewise, water of Yamuna is diverted at Hathinikund and Tajewala and it is completely dry thereafter. One can verify this while traveling by road between Yamuna Nagar and Saharanpur. The courts should worry about the fact that much of the water seen in Yamuna at Wazirabad is nothing but waste water emptied in to the dry riverbed by the drains coming from Panipat. Amicus curai appointed by court may consider to see and videograph the difference in water level of Yamuna before and after it is joined by Chambal in Bundelkhand, near Etawah. After having seen Yamuna at Delhi and Agra and Ganga at Kanpur, it was soothing to see a free flowing Chambal in Rajasthan. Please visit the historic city of Dholpur to see it for yourself. At times, I wish all of India was dry desert like Rajasthan, because only facing the scarcity of water can teach us Indians to learn the value of water and the importance of our rivers. Reviving the rivers is essential if we have an iota of concern for our future generations.
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