The Yamuna: Delhi's worshipped — and abused — river

A photographer’s journey down the Yamuna in Delhi captures the extent of abuse and encroachments Text by Juhi Chaudhary | Images by Dilip Banerjee In Hindu mythology, Yamuna is the sister of Yama, the God of Death. Two days after every Diwali, millions of women pray to her to safeguard their brothers, while it is the manifestation of the goddess in the Yamuna River that they abuse through the year. The abuse is at its worst in India’s capital. Except in a good monsoon, the authorities take all the fresh water as the Yamuna reaches Delhi. For most of the year, when the river leaves Delhi 20 km downstream, it only has drain water. The water channels of the Yamuna take up 1,600 hectares in Delhi; another 8,100 hectares are designated as its floodplain. This has been encroached upon by government and private agencies alike. The crucial functions of the floodplain — groundwater recharge and flood control — have been seriously compromised. A pristine Yamuna is a life-giving river, as can still be seen in the stretch before its water is appropriated. Starting there,  thethirdpole.net travelled the 20 km to document how the Yamuna is changed to an encroached-upon drain. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Downstream of the Wazirabad barrage, it is all drain water, as seen at Qudsia Ghat here. Water hyacinth and garbage combine to produce a nauseating stench [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Methane bubbles from the water near Qudsia Ghat. An estimated 80 percent of Yamuna’s pollution load comes from the 18 drains that empty into the river as it passes Delhi. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] At Nigambodh Ghat, Delhi’s busiest crematorium on the bank of the Yamuna, it is common for mourners to throw into the river ash, bones, flowers, pots and anything else used during prayers. Since there is hardly any water next to the crematorium, mourners often hire boats for the purpose. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] This structure was being built on the Yamuna floodplain near Nigambodh Ghat. The builders had said it would be a 10-storey charitable eye hospital. There were conflicting claims over whether or not the Delhi Development Authority or anyone else in a position of power had granted permission. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] The Akshardham temple has been a Delhi landmark since it was built on the floodplain in 2005 despite strenuous objections by environmentalists. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] The government encroached on the Yamuna floodplain to build the athletes’ village for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the courts permitted this despite litigation by environmentalists. Together, the Commonwealth Games Village and the Akshardham temple next door occupy around 150 hectares of the riverbed. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] The government encroached upon another 20 hectares on the floodplain to build a bus parking lot before the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The authorities told the court it was a temporary measure. In 2016, the Supreme Court rapped Delhi Government for not having moved the parking lot out of the floodplain. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] However polluted, the Yamuna is still home to many birds. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] These parts of a pontoon bridge have been rusting at the riverbank for over a decade. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] That is a cinema hall on the Yamuna floodplain. When it is not showing movies, it screens cricket match telecasts. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] A dairy on the Yamuna floodplain, on land declared to belong to the Delhi Development Authority, near Sonia Vihar. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] The Yamuna floodplain has always been farmed during the lean season, and there was a time when much of Delhi’s fruits and vegetables were grown there. In January 2015, the National Green Tribunal banned farming on the floodplain after it was found that vegetables grown there had high levels of arsenic and heavy metals, toxic for human health. Farming on the floodplain continues, though on a smaller scale. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Collecting plastic bottles and packets from the Yamuna for recycling. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] The Third Pole is a multilingual platform dedicated to promoting information and discussion about the Himalayan watershed and the rivers that originate there. All the reports from The Ganga Project were originally published on thethirdpole.net and have been reproduced here with permission.