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Walk organized in Agra to stress on Yamuna revival
It was a symbolic march to highlight the plight of river Yamuna, the life of Taj city. The river has faced neglect for long and promises made for its revival have not been met, activists alleged.
Agra On the eve of World Environment Day, voluntary organisation “River Connect’, which is running a campaign for revival of the dying river Yamuna, organized a walk from Taj Corridor Point to Etmaduddaula river view point. The participants gathered for ‘Yamuna Aarti’ and sought immediate measures for revival of river Yamuna.
“It was a symbolic march to highlight the plight of river Yamuna, the life of Taj city. The river has faced neglect for long and promises made for its revival have not been met. Whenever elections are around Yamuna becomes an issue in Agra and Mathura followed by long promises but they are never fulfilled,” complained Brij Khandelwal, convenor of River Connect Campaign which organises Yamuna Aarti at Etmaduddaula River View Point every evening.
“We had invited people from all sections to be part of this march on the eve of World Environment Day. The purpose was to highlight the unfulfilled promises, including Yamuna purification, construction of barrage on the river Yamuna and uninterrupted flow of water in the river,” said Khandelwal.
“We need a national policy for revival of rivers, be it Ganga, Yamuna or any other river and random efforts here and there are going to be of no help. Rivers are dying a slow death with no clear policy for their conservation. Demand for Agra Barrage on river Yamuna is decades old and has now turned merely a poll promise,” Khandelwal said.
“Rivers are not merely flowing water but integral part of ecology and as such habitat mostly comes up on river bank. Environmentalists have stressed time and again that for long life of Taj Mahal, there is need for water in river Yamuna to keep the foundation of the monument moist,” said Khandelwal.
