Sunday, March 05, 2006
Conference Demands Release of Agra’s Water Share in Yamuna
By Brij Khandelwal
Agra: A conference of social activists, NGO functionaries and political workers demanded immediate release of Agra's share of water in river Yamuna to save the Taj Mahal.
Conference organized by Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, unanimously adopted a resolution listing 10 demands to rejuvenate Yamuna which had been reduced to an open drain, carrying noxious effluents and sewer discharges from cities upstream of the Taj Mahal.
Yamuna in Agra was as much a heritage as the Taj Mahal, because it was due to the overflowing river that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fixed his eyes on this particular site, the speakers said
The resolution said, “it was unfortunate that the state and central governments were busy making money and exploiting the Taj Mahal to promote tourism but were least concerned about saving a dying river which was an integral part of the Taj Complex in the original scheme of things, envisaged by the builders of the white marble mausoleum, which was under threat due to the dry river bed.
That apart, a water body without water in the background left a disgusting impression in the minds of the tourists."
President of the Heritage Conservation Society Surendra Sharma said, “river Yamuna and the Taj Mahal were twins and therefore can not be separated. "Government bodies should immediately take steps to fill the river with water and also restore the Keitham lake which had been reduced to a vast waste land, "Sharma told Www.mediabharti.com.
Conference demanded release of Yamuna water from the Okhla barrage which was holding up water for consumption in Delhi, denying the right share of downstream cities, a clear violation of river water sharing treaties. Speakers wanted a barrage to be built 30 kms. downstream of Agra to allow some breathing space to the river and an extended catchments area to augment the raw water supply.
Conference wanted the Yamuna in Agra to be de-silted and for this it was suggested that the Agra Municipal Corporation or the Agra Development Authority buy a dredging machine for use on a continuous basis. "The British used to de-silt the river every summer to create capacity for water storage. Why can't we do it now?" asked Shravan Kumar of the Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water. The conference heard emotional and at times angry pleas to save the Yamuna by social activists and environmentalists.
Earlier, Acharya Gopi Ballabh Shastri of the Pushti-margiya Sampradaya, explained the importance of Yamuna in the Hindu mythology, in particular among the devotees of Sri Krishna. "Beloved of Sri Krishna and worshipped by millions of people, the river Yamuna's sad plight is unbearable," the acharya said.
Conference was attended by a large number of political activists and social workers who were anguished by the consistent failure of governmental agencies and dozens of remediation plans to restore glory and health to a sick river and save the life line of the city.
Agra: A conference of social activists, NGO functionaries and political workers demanded immediate release of Agra's share of water in river Yamuna to save the Taj Mahal.
Conference organized by Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, unanimously adopted a resolution listing 10 demands to rejuvenate Yamuna which had been reduced to an open drain, carrying noxious effluents and sewer discharges from cities upstream of the Taj Mahal.
Yamuna in Agra was as much a heritage as the Taj Mahal, because it was due to the overflowing river that Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fixed his eyes on this particular site, the speakers said
The resolution said, “it was unfortunate that the state and central governments were busy making money and exploiting the Taj Mahal to promote tourism but were least concerned about saving a dying river which was an integral part of the Taj Complex in the original scheme of things, envisaged by the builders of the white marble mausoleum, which was under threat due to the dry river bed.
That apart, a water body without water in the background left a disgusting impression in the minds of the tourists."
President of the Heritage Conservation Society Surendra Sharma said, “river Yamuna and the Taj Mahal were twins and therefore can not be separated. "Government bodies should immediately take steps to fill the river with water and also restore the Keitham lake which had been reduced to a vast waste land, "Sharma told Www.mediabharti.com.
Conference demanded release of Yamuna water from the Okhla barrage which was holding up water for consumption in Delhi, denying the right share of downstream cities, a clear violation of river water sharing treaties. Speakers wanted a barrage to be built 30 kms. downstream of Agra to allow some breathing space to the river and an extended catchments area to augment the raw water supply.
Conference wanted the Yamuna in Agra to be de-silted and for this it was suggested that the Agra Municipal Corporation or the Agra Development Authority buy a dredging machine for use on a continuous basis. "The British used to de-silt the river every summer to create capacity for water storage. Why can't we do it now?" asked Shravan Kumar of the Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water. The conference heard emotional and at times angry pleas to save the Yamuna by social activists and environmentalists.
Earlier, Acharya Gopi Ballabh Shastri of the Pushti-margiya Sampradaya, explained the importance of Yamuna in the Hindu mythology, in particular among the devotees of Sri Krishna. "Beloved of Sri Krishna and worshipped by millions of people, the river Yamuna's sad plight is unbearable," the acharya said.
Conference was attended by a large number of political activists and social workers who were anguished by the consistent failure of governmental agencies and dozens of remediation plans to restore glory and health to a sick river and save the life line of the city.
# posted by mediabhartiwebsolutions @ 4:12 AM 
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