“River Yamuna will never be the
same… we have caused enough damage to it”, voiced a 10 year-old on the Yamuna
Walk, this Wednesday.
This year’s Grade 5 students are
inquiring into “problems arising due to irresponsible sharing of spaces” as a
part of their PYP Exhibition. To become more aware of the issues – local with
global impact and go deeper into the
problems, we went for a ‘Yamuna Walk’ organized by an NGO called Swechha. It
was a long bus ride till Wazirabad, (on the junction of Haryana and Delhi)
where we halted at a village settled on the banks of river Yamuna. The water
was clear; the river was flowing beautifully without much disturbance and one
could spot some swans and egrets perching in the water. Students didn’t believe
that just before entering the city, the river is so clean and serene.
Our next stoppage was at
Najafgarh Barrage where a drain with jet black dirty water was merging into the
river. There was white froth floating on
the river indicating a dead river where there’s no oxygen left in the river.
Students saw how human activities destroyed the source of water and a habitat
to many living forms. Our final stoppage was at a Ghaat near Okhla which was
extremely filthy and highly polluted. One could see algae and other weeds
covering the river. Students were shocked to find out that people still take
bath in that water and use it for various religious purposes. It was not just
the river but the entire flood-plain which was full of muck and garbage- all
created by irresponsible human activities.
The trip turned out to be an
eye-opener for many of us who never realized the impact of human acts on water
bodies and in turn other living beings. Students began wondering how can we be
so irresponsible; who’s going to clean the river now; and who is going to teach
the people about the importance of keeping it clean? The answer lies with us-
the change has to begin from us!
