Why is Yamuna important to us?

1. Presented by-
RISHAB JAIN
SHAILJA KUMARI
YAMUNA ACTION PLAN

2. Contents……………
1. Yamuna-A Lifeline
2. Traditional value of Yamuna
3. Origin of Yamuna
4. Overview of Yamuna’s condition in Delhi
5. Holy River-Yamuna
6. Yamuna Action Plan
7. Need of YAP
8. Phases of YAP
:YAP-I
:YAP-II
:YAP-III
9. Existing Scenario of Yamuna in Delhi
10.Sabarmati Riverfront Development

3. Abbreviations Used…….
• YAP-Yamuna Action Plan
• JICA-Japanese international corporation
• JBIC-Japanese Bank for International Cooperation
• MLD-Mega Litre/day
• MOEF- Ministry of Environment and Forests
• CTCs -community toilet complexes

4. YAMUNA - A lifeline
 The Yamuna , sometimes called Jamuna is the longest
and the second largest tributary river of
the Ganges (Ganga) in northern India. Originating from
theYamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres on the
south western slopes of Banderpooch peaks in the
uppermost region of the Lower Himilayas in Uttrakhand.
 Yamuna flows through the states of Delhi, Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh, before merging with the Ganges at
Allahabad.
 World famous cities like Delhi, Mathura and Agra lie on
its banks. Mathura and Yamuna
Source: http://en.brajdiscovery.org/images/thumb/7/78/YamunaMathura-10.jpg/
Taj Mahal,Agra and Yamuna
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_reflection_on_Yamuna_river,_Agra.jp
g
Salimgarh Fort (on the left) andRed Fort separated by the Yamuna River spill
Channel (since closed and converted into a road) and linked by an arched
bridge, as viewed from Metcalfe's town house, View of 1843
Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salimgarh_Fort#/media/File:Reminiscences_of_Imperial
_Delhi_View_of_the_Delhi_palace_from_Metcalfe_House.png

5. IMPORTANCE OF RIVER YAMUNA
 The Yamuna creates natural state borders between the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, and further
down between the state of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
 River Yamuna is one of the biggest rivers to flows through the world's largest river basin- the Ganges river basin.
 Along with Ganga to which run almost parallel after it touches the Indo-Gangetic plain, the largest alluvial fertile
plain in the world, it creates the Ganga-Yamuna Doab region spread across 69,000 km2, one-third of the entire
plain, and today known for its agricultural outputs, prominent among them is the cultivation of. The plain itself
supports one-third of India's population through its farming Basmati Rice.
 A population of 500 million depends on this river basin, which is spread over nearly 10,86,000 square kilometers.
 The river Yamuna is also connected to the religious beliefs surrounding Krishna and various stories connected with
Him are found in Hindu religious texts, especially the Puranas.
 The government of India claims on its website that the river Yamuna does not have a single drop of natural water
after it flows through Delhi. The river is ecologically dead.
 The ecological impact on river Yamuna has been immense-with the aquatic life disappearing by the day. Fish,
turtles, alligators and other such life dependent on fresh river water are dying in the toxic industrial pollutants and
sewage dumped in Yamuna.

6. Traditional value of the
Yamuna in Delhi

7. 18th Century –Shahjahanabad by the Yamuna
In the olden days, Delhi
received its main source of
water from:
Shallow step wells dug on the
floodplains of Yamuna.
Ponds locally called johads that
had connection with the local
streams, rivulets and their
tributaries.
18th Century – The Yamuna flowing by The RedFort

8. River in India has always had the status of Mother. The Yamuna has been
worshipped as a Divine holy river.

9. Origin of Yamuna

12. Overview
of
Yamuna’s condition in Delhi

14. SEGMENTS OF
RIVER YAMUNA
The Yamuna river originates at Yamunotri in
Uttarakhand.
The total length of the river from the Glacier to
the Ganga Sanagm at Allahabad is about 1,300
km.
Yamuna river enters Delhi near Palla, traverses
about 48 kms.
YAMUNA IN DELHI: 22 Km stretch from
Wazirabad to Okhla
2% OF RIVER LENGTH in Delhi
BUT
70 % of total pollution loaded in Yamuna in
DELHI
(BOD:>40; Coliform: 24Millions)

15. The 22‐km stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi lies between
Wazirabad and the Okhla barrage.
DELHI STRETCH

16. The Yamuna in Delhi- 22 sewage filled drains empty into the river

17. All waste of the city, domestic and industrial, whether treated or not flows
through these drains and reaches the Yamuna.

18. The Najafgarh drain and the Shahadra drain are the two
largest polluters of the river

19. Sewage status of India 2005
 40% of India’s sewage treatment
capacity belongs to Delhi, yet a
massive gap remains between
sewage generation and treatment.
 82% of the Sewage generated is
left untreated. Installed capacity
caters to only 18% of the genrated
sewage.
 The Sewage Treatment Plants
(STPs) remain grossly
underutilised. Three STPs
(Ghitorni, Rohini and Keshopur‐I)
do not treat even a drop of waste The STPs release treated effluents into the nearby drains, which are
already full of untreated and illegal sewage.

20. The river aquatic life ceases to exist at Wazirabad

21. What flows subsequently is only the sewage and waste from Delhi’s
22 drains.

22.  Micro‐pollutants like pesticides
and heavy metals have been
found in the water flowing in
Delhi’s drains.
In 2004 were reported in Yamuna
2004, high levels of Arsenic the
at Okhla.
 Effluent discharge by factories
‐ film of poisonous foam and
frothing

23. HOLY RIVER-YAMUNA

24. The Holy River ‐ film of poisonous foam and frothing
An idol of Goddess Durga
being immersed near
Okhla barrage amidst
froth‐like sewage.
Worshipping &
Offerings at
Yamuna river

25. Cremation

26. Access to the river – blocked by garbage dumpsGarbage dumped along the river
Direct usage – bathing, washing clothes,
defecating etc.
MAJOR POLLUTANTS

27. The River is Dead
• Oxygen level when river exits Delhi is almost zero, unable to support any aquatic life. It is even unfit for
bathing.
Source: http://file.scirp.org/Html/12-9401064/95a2ce2f-ff07-4678-9d1b-17fed631776a.jpg

28.  Between 1995 and 2005 the government of Delhi has incurred a total expenditure of
 Rs. 1100 to Rs. 1450 crore on building sewage and waste treatment facilities.
 In addition, there has been planning and funding through YAP (Yamuna Action Plan). By 2006, capital
 Investments totaling Rs. 1,188‐ 1,491 crore have literally gone down the drain.
What has been done to clean the River?

29. A river is a symbol of identity for a region.
Why should Delhi save the Yamuna?
It is a community asset. River revitalization brings
communities that depend on it back to life.
Flood Control It provides public spaces which bring people together.

30. Delhi needs the river-
Yamuna Floodplains
• Delhi’s largest groundwater recharge zone.
• Covering the banks with impermeable concrete and
construction has threatened this groundwater recharge zone
Illegal constructions on the floodplain ‐ Akshardham Temple,
the Delhi Government Secretariat and the Commonwealth
Games Village ‐continue to exist.
River floodplains recharge groundwater
 Fresh perennial water, for which the river must flow.
 Recharges the aquifers.
 Allows excess rainwater to drain out.
 Beauty and recreation.
 A river is a symbol of identity for a region.
 It is a community asset. River revitalization brings
communities that depend on it back to life.
 Flood Control.
 It provides public spaces which bring people
together.
 River floodplains recharge groundwater

31. STAKEHOLDERS

32. Yamuna Action Plan

33. Background of Yamuna Action Plan
“This plan envisaged protecting and preserving the River Yamuna from pollution via various schemes and plans.”
 The Yamuna Action Plan (YAP), one of the largest river restoration projects in the country, is a bilateral
project between the Government of India and Japan.
 The Japanese Government has provided financial grant of 17.7 billion yen to carry out the project, under
the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
 This project is being executed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, National River
Conservation Directorate and the Government of India.
Source: JBIC
http://www.governancenow.com/temp/yamuna.jpg
Polluted river Yamuna in DelhiPolluted river Yamuna in Haryana
http://www.khabarindia.in/wpcontent/uploads/2015/07/yamuna.
jpg
Polluted river Yamuna in U.P

34. • Yamuna Action Plan was conceived in early 1990’s.
• Objective of Yamuna Action Plan: To stop drains from
dumping wastewater into the 1375-km-long-river and to
intercept and divert sewage.
• Financial assistance: in 1993, loan from the Japanese
Government through Japan Bank for International
Cooperation (JBIC). The bank gave Rs 480 crore for the
entire Phase-I of YAP, of which Delhi received Rs 164
crore.
• Covered 8 towns in U.P., 12 towns in Haryana and
Capital region.
• Project implementing agency in Delhi: Municipal
Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
• Project duration: July 2000 – March 2003(YAPI)
• Involved 9 schemes
Yamuna Action Plan
Towns covered under Yamuna Action Plan Project

35.  Since India is undergoing intensive urbanization and
industrialization, accompanied by population growth, the outflow of
sewage far exceeds the self-purification capacity of the rivers.
 As a result, polluted river water causes sanitation and
environmental problems for residents of towns in their basins.
 Many rivers in India, such as the River Yamuna, are perceived to be
sacred and are used for holy bathing.
 They also provide drinking water, and are therefore, closely involved
in the life of people living nearby.
 Government of India has set a National River Conservation Plan,
and it is working to enhance the water quality of its major rivers as a
national project. The Yamuna Action Plan is regarded as the core of
the National River Conservation Plan.
Need of Yamuna Action Plan
Yamuna as a source of Drinking Water &
activities
Yamuna a lifeline to Aquatic Life
Yamuna used for holy bathing

36. Phases of
Yamuna Action Plan

37. YAP-I
• Under the first phase of YAP, from 1993 to 2003, 29 sewage treatment plants
with treatment capacity of 725.79 MLD were constructed (402.79 MLD in UP, 303
MLD in Haryana & 20 MLD in Delhi).
YAP-II
• Under the second phase of YAP, which commenced in 2003, new sewage
treatment capacity of 189 MLD was constructed (54 MLD in UP & 135 MLD in
Delhi) and 273 MLD of existing sewage treatment capacity at Delhi was
refurbished.
YAP-III
• The Third phase of YAP, from 2011 to 2018.The implementing agency for the
current phase is Delhi Jal Board, under supervision of the Department of Urban
Development, Government of NCT of Delhi.

38. Under YAP I, broadly two types of activities
were taken up. One includes sewerage
schemes wherein the construction of 29
STPs (with a total capacity of about 726
MLD), 58 pumping stations, and 179 km of
sewers was proposed.
In another scheme the installation of non-
sewerage facilities such as 1282 public
toilet complexes, 96 crematoria, River front
development, plantation and public
awareness and participation were
proposed.
YAP I also included construction of 5 mini
sewage treatment plants and 10 micro
sewage treatment plants for some of the
community toilet complexes (CTCs)
YAP-I

39. YAP-II addresses the abatement of increasingly
serious pollution of the River Yamuna by raising
sewage treatment capacity, caused by rapid
population growth, industrialization and
urbanization in the towns of the river basin, which
includes Delhi, the capital of India.
Building new and expanding capacity of old
sewage treatment plants and laying and
rehabilitating sewers will be also done to raise
treatment capacity particularly in Delhi and Agra.
These works will lead the improvement of the
sanitation conditions for the residents of towns in
the river basin.
The institutional capacity building of the urban local
bodies in each state will also be enhanced with the
purpose of improving services and strengthening
their financial and technological aspects. This effort
will enhance project impacts by institutional
capacity building at the municipal level.
YAP-II

40. Improvement of operational efficiency of
existing sewage treatment facilities, and
construction of additional treatment
facilities.
Modernization 814 MLD of existing sewage
treatment capacity at Delhi.
Provision of recycled water through tertiary
treatment facilities
Consulting services for construction management,
tendering and the like
NGT has given directions to take up cleaning of
Yamuna under Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna
Revitalization Plan, 2017. Accordingly, DJB has
submitted priority of projects amounting to Rs.
1,969 crore to be taken up under Phase I of Maily
Se Nirmal Yamuna-Revitalization Plan, 2017.
YAP-III

41. The primary structure of schemes designed under Yamuna Action Plan are as follows:
Sewerage Component
•Interception and Diversion Works include Intermediate Pumping Stations
•Main Pumping Station and Rising-Mains
•Sewage Treatment Plant or STP
Non Sewerage Component
•Low Cost Sanitation or LCS.
•Improved wood based & Electric Crematoria.
•Plantation
•Public Participation
•Bathing ghats / River front Developments
Source:Asit Nema

42. Existing Scenario of Yamuna in Delhi
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
Methane bubbles from the water near Qudsia Ghat. An estimated 80% of
Yamuna’s pollution load comes from the 18 drains that empty into the river as it
passes Delhi
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
This building is coming up right now on the Yamuna floodplain near Nigambodh
Ghat. The builders say it will be a ten-storey charitable eye hospital. There are
conflicting claims on whether the Delhi Development Authority or anyone else
in a position of power has given permission

43. Existing Scenario of Yamuna in Delhi
Women bathe, cook and raise their children along the banks of the highly
polluted Yamuna River. Entire families take up residence beneath the Old Iron
Bridge that crosses the river; they are forced to move to higher ground during
the monsoons, when the river floods.
These parts of a pontoon bridge have been rusting at the riverbank for over a
decade
That is a cinema hall on the Yamuna floodplain.
When it is not showing movies, it screens cricket
match telecasts
A dairy on the Yamuna floodplain, on land declared to belong to the Delhi
Development Authority, near Sonia Vihar

44. Existing Scenario of Yamuna in Delhi
The Akshardham temple has been a Delhi landmark since it was built on the
floodplain in 2005 despite strenuous objections by environmentalists
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
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, but there is no sign yet that it will be
pulled down. This year the Supreme Court once again rapped Delhi
Government for not having moved the parking lot out of the floodplain yet
However polluted, the Yamuna is still home to many birds

45.  Daily sewage generation in Delhi: 2871 million litres.
 Sewage treated: 1478 million litres
Remaining sewage: goes into the Yamuna through the 17 drains.
 Content of suspended solids in Yamuna – 1,000-10,000 mg
 Permissible content of suspended solids – 100 mg
 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) – 15 – 30 mg per litre
 Normal BOD level – 3 mg per litre
 Content of Coliform level in Yamuna – 11.8 crore per 100 ml of water
 Permissible content of Coliform level – 5000 per 100 of water
Coliforms cause many serious diseases relating to the digestive system.
 Dissolved oxygen level in Yamuna – 0
 Normal oxygen level – 4 mg per litre
The dissolved oxygen level is critically important for water plants and fish.
 Delhi’s drinking water requirement – 1480 cusecs
 Available drinking water – 1221 cusecs
 Existing forest cover: 10.2% of the total area
 Required forest cover: 33% of the total area
Air Pollution: RSPM levels 3 times higher than normal, CO levels are twice the permissible standard.
Existing Scenario of Yamuna in Delhi

46. STEPS to clean Yamuna
1. Cleaning 3 major drains Najafgarh, Supplementary
&Shahadra- Interceptor Sewer Project
2. Cleaning all tributary drains of Najafgarh,
Supplementary & Shahadra drain – NGT Order-Setting
up of decentralized sewage treatment plants and allied
works
3. Trapping/ cleaning of remaining 15 drains directly
falling into River Yamuna- Bela Road, Ring Road
sewer Project.
4. Dredging of major drains and 22 Km stretch of
Yamuna bed
5. Laying of sewerage system in un-sewered areas-
Master Plan 2031.
6. Rehabilitation & up-gradation of old sewerage
infrastructure- Yamuna Action Plan- III
7. Immediate action for Bio remediation & development
of public space along all three major drains
Change of
color of water
on outfall of
Drain
Source: S.P TYAGI,DJB

47. Existing Scenario of Yamuna Action Plan in Delhi
Sewage Treatment:
 The river was supposed to be cleaned by ensuring no-
entry of untreated sewage. 744 million litres/day (MLD) of
sewage was proposed to be intercepted and treated
before it enters the river.
 Mini and micro sewage treatment plants (STPs) were
envisaged at a cost of Rs 9.81 crore.
 The 4 mini STPs are functioning at 30-40% efficiency. The
10 micro STPs are yet to begin operations since they
haven’t been electrified so far.
Community Toilet Complexes (CTCs):
 JBIC gives the Ministry of Environment and
Forests (MoEF) Rs 164 crore to
build adequate toilets for Delhiites, especially slum-
dwellers to dissuade open defecation.
 1150 CTCs with 30,000 seats were to be built by
MCD. Work began in July 2001 i.e. a year after
the project was intercepted.
Mobile Toilet Vans (MTVs)
 The MCD got 180 MTVs at a cost of Rs 4.10 crore,
which was part of the Rs 149.38 crore used for
making 953 CTCs.
Iron Grills
 Were put across the Yamuna bridges, prohibiting people
from throwing
anything and everything into the river.
NGO
 A coordinating NGO Accord was given 2.16 crore to create
awareness and
encourage slum dwellers to use the CTCs.

48. Issue
 Building toilets to reduce pollution in the river is a baseless solution because the key lies in intercepting the sewage
for treatment.
 Latest samples of CPCB from Palla (where river enters Delhi), Nizammudin and Okhla reveal that there has been
no change in the quality of Yamuna water since the past 2 years.
Faults
 Some drains that dump wastewater into the Yamuna are not intercepted and so some new pollution points have
come up. Problem areas: Muzaffarnagar, Yamunanagar, Agra and Faridabad.
 Installed STPs are functioning inefficiently and erratically, as the wastewater to be treated does not reach it.
 Frequent power cuts stall work,
 CTCs have problems like not being connected to sewage lines, high charges etc.
Outcome/Achievement of Yamuna Action Plan
Haryana fares better than U.P. as infrastructure work has been completed and is working well, with plants having
insufficient sewage to treat. Treated effluents are discarded into drains or canals and biogas utilization is poor. In both
states improved wood-based crematoria haven’t taken off which were intended to
reduce the wood use and time taken by half.
In Delhi, the plan’s outcome is yet invisible, even after so much money has gone into it. The feasibility study of the
project has played a very negligible role in the whole operation. Due to this, the project defies the very role it was meant
to play.

49.  Success Rate of YAPs
 The cleaning of polluted Yamuna, under YAP-I and YAP-II, was carried out in accordance
with the level of the biological oxygen demand of the Yamuna.
 Under these two phases 286 scheme were completed in 21 towns of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,
and Haryana at a cost of Rs. 1,453.17 crore. These schemes also consisted of 39 sewage
treatment plants under which sewage treatment capacity of 767.25 million litres per day
had been created.
 In a recent report Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) has informed that to support
aquatic life and day-to-day activities of the people living on the banks of the river Yamuna,
3.46 billion litres per day (BLD) of fresh flow of water is needed.
 This has been reported based on an analysis for the last 10 years. The Teri report has also
described that the YAPs may not be 100% successful in improving water quality but it is
true that the water quality has not deteriorated after its implementation.

50. Sabarmati Riverfront
Development

51. http://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/alternative-perspective-sabarmati-riverfront-
development
Sabarmati Riverfront Development
Sabarmati Riverfront Development
Project Aim:
The project aims to provide Ahmedabad with a meaningful waterfront environment along the banks of the Sabarmati
River and to redefine an identity of Ahmedabad around the river. The project looks to reconnect the city with the river
and positively transform the neglected aspects of the riverfront.
 The Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project
at Ahmedabad has attracted much attention for
its concept, approach and achievements
nationally and internationally.
 It has been projected in the list of 100 “Most
Innovative Projects” hailing it as a project
towards ‘urban regeneration and environmental
improvement which will transform the river as a
focal point of leisure and recreation’.
 The SRFD project is unique not only for what it is and has done, also when compared to and seen with almost
criminal neglect and utter lack of initiative and action on other rivers and cities.
 It is no surprise that SRFD Project is seen as a model for the country and a few more cities such as Mumbai, Delhi,
Surat, Kolkatta and Lucknow are working on developing similar projects.

52. Sabarmati Riverfront Development
Master Plan

53. what makes Sabarmati Riverfront Development so special?
At a single go the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project (SRFD Project) has achieved four major
objectives:
(a) converted a liability that the Sabarmati river had become due to waterlessness, pollution and neglect, into
an asset by making it perennially water filled, at least in the city stretch, eliminating the major water
polluting agents by diverting as many as 39 sewage outlets that dumped untreated sewer in the river into
two sewage treatment plants, and drastically reducing possibility of further pollution by putting the river
water and the river banks to multiple public uses
(b) gifted to the citizens a large, centrally located and much needed civic space to the city chronically starved
of open spaces, by amalgamating the existing and the reclaimed lands obtained by trimming the river for
recreation and leisure purposes
(c) creating a precedent in form of an institutional mechanism for project planning and implementation, in form
of a special purpose vehicle, namely the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited
(SRFDCL), that would serve the city well in the future while planning ambitious and high investment
projects, and
(d) created a new and modern landmark, announcing Ahmedabad’s arrival as a `word class’ city to the fast
urbanizing global world—the BRTS is the other such project in the city—wherein vision in urban planning,
creativity in governance, entrepreneurship in problem solving, public participation in alternatives search
and display of sustainability concerns in managing and developing a city are highly rated attributes.

54. NowBefore
Rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers
Before Now
Gujari Bazaar -
Sunday Market
Before
Now
Dhobi Ghat

55. Before Now
Event Area
Urban ForestryBefore Now

56. Sewage System
Before Now
Before Now
Connecting River
to Community
Before
Now
Promenade

57. What made it possible?
A number of factors including
 the political will on part of the Chief Minister of the state;
 the special purpose vehicle that made decision making focused and insulated from the partisan political
wrangling that often characterize project management at the local authority;
 the administrative leadership at the AMC and the SRFDCL that, among other things, succeeded in
transferring all related lands owned by the various authorities to the project,
 and consistent and vigorous follow up by the motivated professionals.
ISSUES
 The first set of issues is in the way the project has been designed and implemented. They are in the process
as also in the outcome.
 The concerns are on the reliability of the technical feasibility considering the peculiarity of the Sabarmati’s
flood behavior and the relatively new climate change phenomenon that brings into the equation hitherto
unknown factors and considerations, which did not figure in the Khadkwasla calculations and modeling tests
in the ‘60s. Climate change was not such a prominent issue then.
 The change in the river ecology by filling in the water, the disruption of the dry-river ecology, neglect of the
river—basin, banks and the water-- beyond the city stretch, the change in the traditional use pattern of the
river bed (especially the river bed agriculture) and the river bank uses; summary eviction of all form of
traditional river users; tempering with the naturalness of the river form through the straightening of the banks,
the artificial and characterless retaining wall and, most importantly, downgrading of a natural river into a
narrow and artificial ‘canal’ does not find approval of the purists and the ecologically learned and sensitive.

58. THE CHANGE AGENDA NOW
 removing roads: planting one lakh trees instead
 stop selling the riverfront land
 Sabarmati riverfront people’s forest development fund.
 the new vibrant mindset in resource mobilization
 place for the informal sector
 people and environment friendly city
Why Scientist opposes Sabarmati model, says reclaiming floodplain not a
good idea for Yamuna
Sabarmati riverfront is "like an international destination" and cited the fact that there are many riverfronts globally
which have come up by developing a river's floodplains. It was even suggested that a different hydrological model
be used to ensure that Yamuna doesn't overflow its banks if its floodplains are reclaimed like in case of Sabarmati.

59.  To better understand why Sabarmati remains an unmitigated ecological disaster, one must appreciate a river
as part of a larger water course with its catchment, basin and floodplain. This is an evolutionary marvel
that occurs over millions of years. Every monsoon, a river deposits the water it receives in its vast floodplain
and the deep aquifers underneath. In the lean season, these reserves feed the river by giving back water and
maintaining its base flow.
 Rampant construction and extended embankments destroy floodplains. Building too many dams and
barrages for hydroelectricity and irrigation denies minimum natural flow and fractures riverine ecosystems.
Discharging municipal sewage, agricultural runoff and industrial effluents pollutes waters. These are the
reasons why most of our rivers have become trickling, stinky drains that cannot support life anymore.
 Urban efforts to revive rivers are often cosmetic. The most spectacular of them all, Seoul’s
Cheonggyecheon project, is no tribute to ecology and depends on borrowed water pumped through seven
miles of pipes to keep the river flowing for just three miles. Sabarmati is no exception. Its borrowed waters run
through a narrow canal encased in concrete for 10.5 km. But for all practical purposes, the Sabarmati, like other
poisoned rivers of Gujarat such as Daman Ganga, Amlakhadi and Khari, remains very much the doomed river it
became in the 1990s.