South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People
(Feature Image: Experts object elevation work on Yamuna floodplain in North East Delhi. Source: ToI, March 29, 2024)
This is an open letter to concerned government officials regarding restoration of Yamuna floodplain illegally raised and levelled by Forest Department, Delhi and DDA at Bela Farm near Shashtri Park, Delhi.
Continue reading “Restore Yamuna Floodplain Raised by Illegal Soil Dumping near Shashtri Park, Delhi”(Feature Image: A decade old Amul caricature on Rs. 70, 000 crore irrigation scam in Maharashtra.)
It’s not very frequent that irrigation scams come to light. Somewhat inadvertently, the Karnataka irrigation scam seems to be getting exposed when the newly elected state government stopped two irrigation projects in the constituency of the irrigation minister of the previous state government, the Gatti Basavanna Dam and the Ammajeshwari Lift Irrigation Project. In both cases, the department officials are saying that they prepared the project reports based on instructions from above. In both cases, the costs proposed at one stage were 3 to 9 times higher than the revised estimated cost.
One only hopes that the government, media and the judiciary will go to the bottom of these revelations and bring to light the full dimensions of what seems like a tip of the Karnataka Irrigation Scam. It is public knowledge that Karnataka has been spending tens of thousands of crores each of the last few years in the name of big irrigation or dam projects, without commensurate benefits.
Continue reading “DRP NB 120623: Tip of Karnataka irrigation scam?”(फीचर इमेज: कौशाम्बी उत्तर प्रदेश में यमुना की ऑक्स बो लेक अलवारा में भ्रमण के दौरान मनोज मिश्र। फोटो: डॉ एस आर टैगोर, दिसंबर 2012)
“मेरे जीवन काल में तो यमुना की हालत में सुधार संभव नहीं है पर आने वाली पीढ़ी शायद एक जीवित नदी देख पाएं”, यह बात मनोज मिश्र जी ने वर्ष 2013 में उस समय कही थी जब वे यमुना में आई बाढ़ का मुआयना कर रहे थे। आज यमुना नदी संरक्षण को समर्पित प्रख्यात पर्यावरणविद मनोज मिश्र हमारे बीच नहीं हैं। विगत दो माह तक करोना से जूझने के बाद, 04 जून 2023 को मनोज जी का निधन हो गया।
देश की राजधानी दिल्ली में सालभर मृत अवस्था में रहने वाली यमुना, केवल बाढ़ के समय ही थोड़ी अवधि के लिए खुद को साफ़ करते हुए उद्गम से संगम तक एकरूप में बहती है। इसे मनोज जी नदी के लिए वरदान मानते थे और सरकारों से यमुना बाढ़ क्षेत्र (खादर) को बचाने और नदी में अविरल बहाव को लाने के लिए समग्र सोच के साथ गंभीर प्रयास की अपेक्षा रखते थे। वास्तव में नदी खादर का बचाव एवं नदी में प्राकृतिक बहाव की बहाली मनोज जी के यमुना शोध एवं संरक्षण कार्य का केंद्र बिंदु रहे।
Continue reading “मनोज मिश्र: नदियों के संरक्षण को समर्पित एक वनाधिकारी”(Feature Image: Late Manoj Misra speaking at India Rivers Week seminar in Delhi in Nov. 2018. Source: IRF)
As we mark the World Environment Day 2023; India has lost one of the staunch river crusader Manoj Misra, the convener of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan (YJA). He has been driving force behind formation and functioning of India Rivers Forum (IRF) a platform dedicated for the rejuvenation and restoration of rivers in India. IRF work started in 2014 and 2023 is the tenth year of annual India Rivers Week meetings focused on rivers. Bhagirath Prayas Samman and Anupam Mishra Medal for exemplary media work on rivers are part of India Rivers Week.
He was hospitalized for over a month due to COVID & related complications and breathed his last on June 4, 2023 afternoon in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. His sudden demise is a great loss for all river lovers, experts, activists in the country. Down to Earth, resourceful, open-minded, academician, people’s rivers scientist are few words but not enough to describe the personality of Manoj Misra.
Continue reading “DRP NB 050623: Manoj Misra, a True River Warrior Is No More, Salutes to Manoj ji!”Guest Article by Manoj Misra
Note: This article is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Brij Gopal who introduced me to the concept of stream standards as different from effluent standards and often lamented former’s absence from our current water pollution control mechanisms. Prof. Gopal passed away suddenly in Delhi on 4 January 2021.
Public Health demands use of ‘Stream’ standards alongside ‘Effluent’ standards – Law provides for it but the authorities have failed to implement.
Is the city of Delhi condemned to suffer high ammonia content each winter in its drinking water supplies from River Yamuna?
Continue reading “HOW CAN DELHI TACKLE HIGH AMMONIA CONTENT IN ITS DRINKING WATER?”The Key message that came through from all the panelists and North India Sand mining presentation was that if we are to see any improvement in the murky state of sand mining that is a threat to everyone today, then we urgently need key role for the local communities and civil society in sand mining governance. The second loud & clear message was that the Supreme Order of 2012 on the need for environmental appraisal and clearance of sand mining leases stands violated in letter and spirit by the Union Government. These messages also provide us the way forward.
Continue reading “North India Sand Mining Dialogue under IRW 2020: Local communities need to have key role in governance”At least since 1994, ever increasing pollution of River Yamuna had ballooned into a national concern, with Supreme Court of India taking up the case of Mailee Yamuna. The authorities lacked a holistic view of a river system. Essential issues like unhindered flow and intact floodplain were seldom discussed and debated. Thus, cleaning of pollution through infrastructure and technologies had become the central theme of saving Yamuna River. As a result, the cleaning efforts got no success and Yamuna River health kept worsening.
Amid this scenario, a group of Delhi citizens in 2006 woke up to impact of a 10 days shopping event to be organized on annual basis in the floodplain of Yamuna River at Delhi- Noida, Uttar Pradesh border. The event faced criticism and was resultantly called off.
But the incident just proved a tip of iceberg for the concerned group who after sometimes came across a list of permanent and commercial structures, being proposed within ecologically valuable and sensitive floodplains of River Yamuna in Delhi as a part of Common Wealth Games 2010.
The prevailing ignorance towards importance of floodplains of River Yamuna in Delhi and blatant encroachment of it, led to formalization of the group into Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan (YJA) on 07 February 2007.
Continue reading “Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan: A Decade in the Service of River Yamuna”
Guest Blog by Manoj Misra (yamunajiye@gmail.com), Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, Delhi
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in a landmark judgment pronounced on 13 January 2015[1], has set an ambitious road map for a rejuvenated river Yamuna by 2017. Naming it as “Maily se Nirmal Yamuna rejuvenation project, 2017” the green court in the judgment spread over almost 100 pages has detailed steps necessary to achieve what all previous efforts have miserably failed. Continue reading “NGT Orders MAILY SE NIRMAL YAMUNA – WILL THIS LEAD TO A REJUVENATED YAMUNA?”
SANDRP 