CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Sunita Narain’s major statement: “The Yamuna is dead, only the last rites remain”
New Delhi: Environmentalist and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Director General Sunita Narain has expressed serious concern over the deteriorating condition of the Yamuna river and the devastating floods in Nepal. Describing the Yamuna’s condition as extremely worrying, she said the river is almost “dead” and is now at the stage where only its last rites remain.
Concern over the Yamuna’s condition
Sunita Narain has long been raising issues related to pollution, sewage and the natural flow of the Yamuna in Delhi. She says the problem will not be solved merely by running river-cleaning campaigns; serious work is also needed on sewage management, the river’s flow and protection of its floodplain.
A major cause of pollution in the Yamuna is believed to be sewage entering the river without adequate treatment. For the river’s revival, along with pollution control, it is also essential to safeguard its ecological flow and floodplain.
Nepal tragedy described as a major warning
Sunita Narain also said the recent devastating floods in Nepal should be seen as an environmental warning. She said that for decades, a development and engineering approach has been adopted in the Himalayas which assumed that rivers and mountains could be altered according to human needs. According to her, this thinking is now creating major environmental risks.
In Nepal, after a glacier collapsed on August 26, a severe flood carrying ice, rocks and debris caused widespread destruction in border areas. Thousands of homes have been affected and relief and rescue operations are still continuing.
Growing danger for the Himalayas too
According to environmental experts, climate change has made it necessary to understand afresh the risks linked to glaciers, snow and rainfall in Himalayan regions. The tragedy in Nepal has also raised the question of how much importance is being given to changing climate risks while planning major construction works in sensitive mountain and river areas.
Sunita Narain’s message is not limited to the Yamuna. Her statement underlines the need to rethink the current development policy in relation to rivers, mountains and the entire ecosystem.
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