What Is This Campaign About?

WHAT IS THIS
CAMPAIGN ABOUT?
It is not hard to understand as to why all
civilizations on earth have grown around and
along the rivers. Name any ancient city (Delhi
for example) and there is a river that goes by it.
But it is indeed hard to understand as to how few of
us really know and appreciate our rivers. For we
rarely think twice before abusing them to no end.
This fact becomes even more amazingly
incomprehensible in the light of the fact that we in
India actually revere our rivers as our mothers.
A river is an aquatic ecosystem with its own
dynamics and critical requirements for its
sustenance. While it provides important ecological
services like water for human consumption and allied
uses, re charge of underground aquifers, habitat to
myriad life forms of both floral and faunal kind, it
needs in turn respect for its form and wholesome
water flow. In absence of the latter the rivers can
and have died in the past. The river Yamuna
especially in its stretch of around 740 km from the
Hathnikund Barrage in the Siwalik foothills till its
confluence with the river Chambal near Etawah is
severely threatened and is in its death throes.
The Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA) as the name
suggests is about working towards the sustained
revival of river Yamuna in its entirety.
Accordingly the campaign is explicitly for the river
Yamuna and against none.
Yet, the fact remains that there are ‘reasons’ which
continue to keep river Yamuna maily (dirty) and
gasping for breath and survival. And no campaign
of this kind can ignore addressing such reasons.
Our research suggests that the key issues to be
addressed under the campaign (Abhiyaan) would
fall primarily under the following three categories:
The element of injustice
The element of illogic
The element of danger
And unless these three elements are addressed in
a holistic manner any effort for the revival of river
Yamuna would remain at best sectoral and hence
piece meal in nature and in its results.
THE ELEMENT OF INJUSTICE
It is well established that one of the key reasons of
the threatened state of river Yamuna in Delhi is the
rampant encroachment over its river bed and the
flood plain on both sides of the river. This is a process
which has been going on quite some time but has
only recently grown to alarming proportions
necessitating intervention both by the state
executive as well as by the judiciary.
Encroachments in river Yamuna (Zone O as per the
Master Plan of Delhi) mainly along its 22 km stretch
in the city are of following kinds:
a) JJ colonies consisting of poor migrants into
the city who came in looking for a job /
opportunity or who were brought in by
contractors as cheap but skilled labour force
mainly for construction works and then were
left to fend for themselves. These are both of
recent as well old origins.
b) Unauthorized colonies that have come up on
their own and not as part of any formal and
planned colonization process in the city.
What Is This Campaign About?
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c) Structures created by the state in an ad hoc
or planned manner.
It is understood that an encroachment threatening
an ecosystem is bad and is wrong irrespective of its
origin, nature or legal status.
Fortunately both the Supreme Court (SC) and the
High Court of Delhi have been seized of this problem
and have directed the state for taking action against
encroachers from time to time ever since 1992 when
an enlightened citizen of Delhi (Comdr Sureshwar
D Sinha) first brought up the matter of the sad state
of river Yamuna before the Hon SC.
The worst irony and gross injustice happens when
the lands which a re reportedly ‘recovered’ from
During 2006 while JJ colonies in river flood plain between the
Shahadara Bridge and the Nizamuddin Bridge were successfully
relocated (under the supervision of the HC created Justice Usha
Mehra Committee) similar encroachers both in Majnu Ka Tila and
in areas south of DND managed to defy and remain. (one can see
in this picture the Raj ghat Power plant in the back ground which
itself is located in the flood plain)
(Date of Photograph: 28 January 2007)
Construction work going on (picture dated 28 January 2007) in
the lands ‘freed’ from the Yamuna Pushta JJ colony ‘encroachers’
in 2004.
The third kind of injustice happens when the state
in its own wisdom decides to permit either an
Akshardham or a power plant or a Secretariat or a
Metro depot to come up in the same river bed and
flood plain creating thereby the so called ‘authorized’
encroachments.
the encroachers in the name of securing the river
bed and reducing the pollution load from the river
is later put to ‘developmental’ use/s by the same
state.
The other kind of injustice (as happened recently in
2006) happens when as a result of a drive against
encroachment only few get up-rooted and rest who
can ‘influence’ or ‘manage’ remain.
Google picture, showing the under construction, Shastri Park Metro
Station in the river bed
The JJ colonies seen diagonally opposite the metro station (under
construction) in the south of the old railway bridge were removed
and relocated in 2006
2 What Is This Campaign About?

preventing the revival of river Yamuna. Even the
judiciary while addressing the question of
encroachments in the river has linked it only as a
pollution issue rather than a issue about maintaining
the integrity of the river ecosystem.
While admittedly the rampant pollution of river
Yamuna mainly in its 22 km stretch in Delhi is one
of the major problems facing the river Yamuna it is
firstly the question of the survival of the river as an
ecosystem in its own right which should ideally take
precedence over all other actions. If the river in its
natural form is lost then clean water if ever available
can as well flow in a channelised drain without the
benefits accruing to the multitudes from a river
system.
Yamuna flood plain south of the ITO bridge under conversion
for the Yamuna Depot of the Delhi Metro (Date of Photograph:
28 January 2007)
Focussing on an encroacher only as an existing or
potential polluter automatically targets the residents
of either the JJ colonies or of the unauthorized
colonies since these remaining outside the planned
sewage management schemes of the state are
assumed to be the key polluters. This approach
presumes that the river is not getting polluted either
by the power plants, or the metro stations or an
Akhshardham or a games village.
PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH
Signature Bridge or the Najafgarh Drain
The Najafgarh drain that meets the river Yamuna
just down stream of the Wazirabad Barrage (see
picture) is reputedly the most polluting of all the 22
drains feeding the river in Delhi. (Date of
Photograph: 28 January 200)
There is a proposal to raise a games village for the 2010
Commonwealth Games in Delhi spread over 42.5 ha of the Yamuna
flood plain next to the structure called Akshardham.
THE ELEMENT OF ILLOGIC
MISSING THE WOODS FOR THE TREES
Treating an encroacher only as a polluter is
missing the larger picture
The state and most others concerned has it seems
till date diagnosed only pollution as the key ill
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There is a plan to construct a fancy bridge to be
called as a Signature Bridge (see picture )at an
estimated cost of around Rs 450 crores over almost
exactly the place where the the infamous Najafgarh
drain meets the river. (Date of Photograph: 28
January 200)
Now the irony is that while the government of India is seeking loan from the JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation) to clean up
the river Yamuna through activities to be implemented by the Government of Delhi, on the other the Government of Delhi has the luxury
to plan for and erect a fancy bridge in the name of a future landmark (as if this ancient city of ours is short on landmarks to market it to
tourists and others?) of the city.
NB: If such money (at the tax payer’s cost) is indeed available then why can’t it be better
utilized to clean up on a priority basis the very drain on which this bridge is proposed to come
up?
A BIRD IN HAND IS BETTER THAN THE TWO IN THE BUSH
Augmentation of water availability in Delhi
S.No. Source of Raw Water Name of the Plant Installed Capacity in 2021
1 River Yamuna Chandrawal I & II 90 MGD
2 River Yamuna Wazirabad I, II, & III 120 MGD
3 Bhakra Storage Haiderpur I 100 MGD
4 Yamuna Haidepur II 100 MGD
5 Bhakra Storage Nangloi 40 MGD
6 Upper Ganga Canal Bhagirathi 100 MGD
7 Sub-Surface Water Ranney Wells/Tubewells 125 MGD
8 Upper Ganga Canal Sonia Vihar 140 MGD
9 Saving from seepage losses Dwarka 40 MGD
with the constructionof new
parallel lined channel
10 Saving from seepage losses Bawana 20 MGD
with the constructionof new
parallel lined channel
11 Saving from seepage losses Okhla 20 MGD
with the constructionof new
parallel lined channel
12 Recycling of wastewater at water - 45 MGD
treatment plants
TOTAL
940 MGD

Water supply scenario in 2021 (MPD 2021)
Against the above scenario according to Delhi Jal
Board (DJB) the projected demand in 2021 will be
of 1380 MGD at the rate of 60 gpcd for 230 lakh
population in Delhi.
dependence on future dams and sources located
outside the NCTD is being over emphasized.
Clearly the Yamuna flood plain is a precious
To meet this shortfall, according to the MPD-2021
the work on following dams has to be expedited.
There seems to be no other alternative (sic):
(A)
(B)
(C)
Renuka Dam on river Giri in Himachal Pradesh
Kishau Dam on river Tons in Uttaranchal (now
Uttarakhand)
Lakhwar Vyasi Dam on river Yamuna in
Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand)
According to the Central Ground Water Board
the Yamuna flood plain in the north west, north
east, east and the south districts have a ground
water potential ranging from very large yield
(100 – 280 cmt per hr) to large yield (50 – 100
cmt per hr).
According to a study published in 2004 by Dr P.
Kumar of the Institute for Economic Growth Delhi,
India:
To maintain the ground water recharge potential
of the floodplains, it is imperative to prevent
any fresh civic structures to come up in these
areas.
Any human activity impairing the water recharge
function of the floodplain ecosystem will create
problems not only for the present but future
generation too.
Water recharge function of Yamuna Floodplain
can not only save Rs 51-60 million per annum
for the government of Delhi but it can
substantially help in balancing the demandsupply
gap in provisioning of water for Delhi.
NB: In a scenario like above it is hard to fathom as
to how the planners are over looking the vital
importance and role of the Yamuna flood plain as
the ground water recharge source in the city and
not even talking about protecting this zone as critical
part of the scheme of things in the MPD 2021 while
resource to be zealously protected and NOT a
waste land waiting to be ‘developed’. (Date of
Photograph: 28 January 200)
Say NO to Commonwealth Games 2010 village
in the Yamuna flood plain
Common man’s view of events like the
Commonwealth Games
- It is India and the city of Delhi in particular
that has won the rights for holding the games
from a competing country (Canada in this
instance)
- GOI is the organiser and hence the successful
organisation of such an event is a national
event involving national pride and prestige
- GOI is within its right to spend money and
invest its resources (including land) on such
events
The little appreciated FACTS are
- It is the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
which is a non government registered
What Is This Campaign About?
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Association (just like any other NGO) and
NOT the Government of India (GOI) that bids
for and is primarily responsible for the
successful organisation of such events.
- In other words (just like in Cricket, it is the
Team - India and NOT the Indian team which
is selected and managed by the BCCI) the
Commonwealth Games is NOT an Indian
event but an International games event bid
successfully for being organised in Delhi in
India by the IOA.
- It is well known that the IOA’s last minute
offer of USD 100,000 per member (72 in all)
and the fact that the CG had never taken place
before in India that clinched the bid in IOA’s
favour.
- GOI has reportedly agreed to underwrite all
costs (difference between revenue and
expenditure) for the organisation of the CG
to the IOA.
Lingering questions
- How is the DDA (which is a GOI agency
created by an Act of the Parliament) acting
on behalf of IOA in raising the Games Village
and the other infrastructure in Delhi?
- When, who and how was the GOI enabled
(by the Parliament?) to agree to underwrite
all costs for the organizing of the CG to the
IOA at the tax payer’s expensive?
- How is the GOI accountable to the tax payer
for such largesse?
- Why does Delhi need another Games Village
when a permanent Games Village already
exists in the city (raised in Siri Fort area for
the Asiad in 1982)?
- If a new games village is needed now for the
CG 2010 then would the same story be
repeated the next time around too when
another Games Village be sought to be raised
in Delhi? (It is well known that IOA is bidding
for the Asian Games 2014 to be held in Delhi!)
- Why such events be held only in Delhi
specially when the city is bursting at its seam
in terms of growth and suffers from an acute
shortage of land and woeful civic and other
amenities? (In many other countries such
games are organised in different cities)
- Is the Commonwealth Games Federation
(CGF) the parent body of the games aware
that the proposed CG village is slated to be
raised in a river flood plain with the potential
to unleash a growth chain reaction which
could disrupt the river ecosystem for ever?
COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2010 –
RESIDENTIAL PROJECT : SHORTLISTED
APPLICANTS
The following applicants have been shortlisted at
the RFQ stage for invitation to participate in the
RFP Process the Residential Project of the
Commonwealth Games Village.
1. M/S DLF Ltd
2. M/S Omaxe Ltd
3. M/S Nagarjuna Construction Co Ltd
4. M/S Shapoorji Pallonji & Co Ltd
5. M/S Larsen and Toubro Ltd
6. M/S Parsavnath Developers Ltd
7. M/S Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd
8. Consortium of CSCHK-Soma Enterprises
9. Consortium of Namkwang-SPSL-PDI-CMCL
10. Consortium led by Emaar PJSC
11. Consortium of Unitech Ltd-IL&FS-PSDA-FCL
ELEMENT OF DANGER
DON’T EMBRACE CALAMITY
Delhi is Flood Prone
International
Games
COUNTRY YEAR GAMES CITY
India 1951 Asian New Delhi
1982 Asian New Delhi
2010 Commonwealth New Delhi
2014 (bid) Asian Games New Delhi
Australia 1956 Olympics Melbourne
1982 Commonwealth Brisbane
2000 Olympics Sydney
2006 Commonwealth Melbourne
GB 1908 Olympics London
1948 Olympics London
COUNTRY YEAR GAMES CITY
1970 Commonwealth Edinburgh
1986 Commonwealth Edinburgh
2002 Commonwealth Manchester
US 1904 Olympics St Louis
1932 Olympics Los Angeles
1984 Olympics Los Angeles
1996 Olympics Atlanta
Korea 1986 Asian Seoul
1988 Olympics Seoul
2002 Asian Busan
2014 (bid) Asian Incheon

Flood vulnerability (Source: Taranjot Kaur
Gadhok, Senior Fellow, HSMI (HUSDCO), New Delhi)
The city has been experiencing floods of various
magnitudes in the past due to floods in the Yamuna
and the Najafgarh Drain system. The Yamuna
crossed its danger level (fixed at 204.83m) twenty
five times during the last 33 years. Since 1900, Delhi
has experienced six major floods in the years 1924,
1947, 1976, 1978, 1988 and 1995 when peak level
of Yamuna river was one meter or more above
danger level of 204.49m at old rail bridge (2.66m
above the danger level) occurred on 6 September
1978. The second record peak of 206.92m was on
27 September 1988.
In the recent past, the city experienced high
magnitude floods in 1977, 1978, 1988 and 1995,
causing misery and loss of life and property to the
residents of the city.
Settlment pattern in flood plain
A close analysis of the flood zoning pattern reveals
that the high risk zones are the areas that have
earlier been identified as unplanned or poorly
planned areas having high population densities and
sub standard housing structures. These include
areas of North Delhi, and Trans Yamuna. Some
of the colonies that have come up in these
areas are at levels 3 to 4 meters below the
1978 flood level.
Risk of break in embankments
Protection from the river by embankments lead
to a false sense of safety and development
starts taking place in the shadow of these
embankments. In the event of failure of these
protective works, as has been seen in the form of
breaches during past floods, the effect is devastating
because the pressure of the entire embanked
stretch is released at one point, and it takes the
people by surprise.
European River (Thames or Seine) Model is No
Panacea for River Yamuna
Raw sewage floods River Thames
(Source:www.smh.au/articles)
August 6, 2004
Environment authorities have mounted a major
cleanup operation in London after Tuesday’s
flooding forced hundreds of thousands of tonnes
of raw sewage into the River Thames running
through central London.
The Environment Agency said 600,000 tonnes
of untreated sewage overflowed into the river
as London’s Victorian-era sewers were
overwhelmed by torrential rains that brought
chaos to parts of the city on Tuesday night.
“The overflow has to go somewhere, and the
Thames is the natural place,” a spokeswoman
told Reuters on Wednesday.
Flood scenario in Seine
(Source: Pierre-Alain Roche, 2005)
Studies conducted in the 1990s gave the authorities
an initial warning by estimating the damage from a
flood comparable to that of 1910 at 4.6 billion euros
(1990 scenario). These same studies also estimated
that the disruption caused by a rise in the level of
the Seine equal to that reached during the 1910
flood would affect:
· 70% of metro traffic for 30 to 50 days;
· 50% of RER traffic for 30 to 50 days;
· over 200 000 electricity subscribers;
· over 1 million telephone subscribers;
· around 100 000 gas subscribers;
· 5 household waste processing plants;
· 5 district heating plants;
· 50% of drinking water supplies.
The most recent estimates have raised this figure
to 12 billion euros. The reason for this increase is
that in addition to direct damage there are also the
costs resulting from the loss or disruption of a large
number of public services. The failure of an EDF
transformer affects a much larger area than the area
actually flooded; the same is true of all utility
networks (telecommunications, district heating,
drinking water, drains and sewers, etc. and
obviously, transport networks too ). Like a house
What Is This Campaign About?
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of cards collapsing, knock-on effects would spread
the impacts of the flooding to areas far removed
from those actually under water; the estimated costs
of “indirect” damage constantly rise the more they
are studied in greater detail.
Worst Case Scenario in Delhi (25 yrs floods)
(fictional but possible)
It is 20 th July 201…It has been raining incessantly
for the last two days in Delhi. In the hills the rain
had been unusually severe this monsoon.
Unknown to most residents in Delhi, the waters in
river Yamuna have been rising steadily over the last
few days but since this morning the rise had taken
menacing proportions and the authorities in the
railways and the Delhi Metro have started to take
precautionary measures for maintaining the
services. The metereological forecast has at best
been tentative but a storm accompanied by heavy
rains in and around Delhi has been forecasted.
By about 0900 hrs the authorities at the Hathnikund
Barrage in Haryana have informed all concerned that
they can hold no longer and for the safety of the
Barrage large amount of water would have to be
released immediately into the main Yamuna river.
By 1800 hrs the rising Yamuna waters in Delhi have
resulted in sluices in the Wazirabad Barrage as well
as the Yamuna and the Okhla Barrage to be opened
in full. Surging Yamuna waters have breached all
the minor embankments and spread all over its
whatever remaining flood plains. Flood waters have
entered the Sonia Vihar areas in East Delhi including
the CRPF camp and the DJB water works colony.
The unfinished Signature Bridge is tantalizingly
perched over the torrential waters. The Yamuna
Pushta embankment is about to be breached. All
Metro operations to and from the Shastri Park and
the Yamuna station have been brought to a complete
halt. Waters have entered the Akshardham temple
and emergency evacuation of men and material from
there has been taken up on war footing. The
residents in the CG village apartments and the
shopping centre have been advised to move to safer
places. With fading lights due to torrential rains the
evacuation is proving to be difficult since the electric
supply all over east Delhi has been put off as an
emergency precautionary measure.
By 1900 hrs the Yamuna waters have started to
over top the Yamuna Pushta bund near Geeta Colony
and the water has started to enter low lying areas
in trans Yamuna localities of Geeta Colony and Laxmi
Nagar. There is chaos all over with people in large
numbers moving towards safer areas in Ghaziabad
and beyond. The bridge over the Hindon in
Ghaziabad is chocked with slow moving cars since
the Hindon itself is in spate.
By 2100 hrs the waters have started to threaten
the Yamuna pushta embankment on the east bank
of the river and the authorities are forced to create
a breach to safeguard the embankment which
immediately starts to flood the low lying areas in
trans Yamuna areas even beyond the already
submerged Geeta colony and Shastri Park. Water
by now is all over the Shastri park Metro head
quarters and the Metro operations have all but been
brought to a stand still all over the city. All the
bridges over the river have been declared unsafe
with only the DND still operable. There is a real
possibility that the trans Yamuna area might be cut
off from the rest of the city.
Similarly in the western bank of the river, flood
waters have started to enter Model town and
Mukherji Nagar mainly through the drains which are
now flowing in reverse directions carrying as much
the flood waters as the filth of the drains. Flood
waters have spread all over the Samadhis and
reached the ground floor of the Delhi Secretariat as
also brought to a halt normal operations in all the
power stations located in the west bank of the river.
There is a sense of major catastrophe having
engulfed Delhi something akin to that happened in
Mumbai in the year 2005.
The Prime Minister is in emergency meeting with
all the concerned officials of both the centre and
the Delhi administration including the Chief Minister
and the Lt Governor of Delhi and an urgent action
plan is being put into place to effectively monitor
the situation and to provide immediate relief and
succour to the affected. A flood monitoring control
room is set up in the PMO with the disaster
management group trying to come to grips and
control of the situation.
8 What Is This Campaign About?

The dawn of July 21 is of little respite. Torrential
rains all over north India continue to play havoc not
just in Delhi with news of devastating floods from
all over north and east India continuing to pour in.
There has been a massive evacuation of people from
affected areas in east Delhi with no immediate
reliable information available about the extent of
loss of life or property in that part of the city. There
is no power available in most parts of the city which
in turn has affected the supply of drinking water to
large areas. All schools and colleges in the city have
been closed down for a week. Attendance in offices
has nose-dived. Rumours have started to run rife
with human causalities figure reportedly rising by
the hour. Media especially the TV continues to
provide round the clock live coverage of the
unprecedented flooding in the city. The situation
changes little for another three days.
It is only after 3 days of unrelenting mayhem from
the flood waters that some semblance of respite is
finally in place although occasional showers still
abound. Affected people start to return to their
homes to retrieve whatever is left untouched by
the flood waters. It is not another week before
skeleton Metro services are put back in operation.
Gaping holes greet a commuter on the roads and
the railways which had ceased operation for almost
two days begin to operate again. The human
casuality figure from the floods are reported to be
in hundreds and the loss to property is topping
thousands of crores of rupees.
Soon reports of water borne diseases spreading
across the city and in nearby suburbs occupy
headlines with the administration coming under
severe scrutiny for its apparent lack of preparedness
and foresight.
A high level enquiry committee after a painstaking
deliberation of over six months reports that the
major reason for the high devastation caused by
the floods was lack of adequate flood plains
remaining in the city with major chunks of it having
been diverted over the years to alternate uses.
Safety estimates about the embankments in the
Yamuna flood plains were all found to be on
unrealistically higher side and hence it was a wrong
decision to permit development of the river flood
plain including the permission granted to the DMRC,
Akshardham, CG village and various other big and
small structures, built in the flood plain. The
committee has recommended immediate review of
the presence of ALL structures standing in the river
flood plain with an option to demolish or phase out
all of them to allow the river flood plain to revert
back to its natural self.
NB: Clearly the Yamuna flood plains need to be
declared inviolate and sacrosanct if for no other
reason than its flood time critical role.
Delhi is Vulnerable to Damage from
Earthquake
According to RN Iyengar (quoted in
GISdevelopment.net)
Delhi, which lies in Seismatic Zone IV, is currently
experiencing mild seismicity. An earthquake of
magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale, that was once
considered hypothetical, is today a very real
possibility. Keeping in view the forecast of a major
earthquake resistant design consideration, it has
become imperative to size up the earthquake
scenario of the city and increase awareness of
earthquake resistant techniques.
Considering areas affected during past earthquakes
of M - 6.5, it can be expected that such an
earthquake occurring in Delhi could adversly affect
the whole of it with damaging intensities and more
than 50% of the Delhi Metropolitan Area - in terms
of probable damage scenario, earthquake would be
the worst natural disaster for Delhi.
An issue of concern to development managers and
citizens of the city today is that many groups of
Indian and American scientists have forecast a major
seismic upheaval of a probable magnitude 9 on the
Richter scale in North India. The forecast is based
on a detailed study of past Indian earthquakes and
analysis of plate tectonics of the region.
NB: It is well known that within Delhi it is the
Yamuna flood plain area like the recently
developed area of trans - Yamuna which is most
vulnerable to damage from an earth quake. It
is more the reason why no new structure should
be constructed in the remaining Yamuna flood
plain area.
What Is This Campaign About?
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WHAT CAN AND
SHOULD BE DONE?
IMMEDIATE MEASURE
- MOEF to notify a River zone Regulation under
the EPA 1986 on the lines of the CRZ
notification
- Delhi government to enact a law for protection
of the river Yamuna flood plain (Zone O in
Delhi) against any unlawful activity including
encroachment (of any kind), pollution and
unauthorized drawal of ground water
- An ordinance declares the constitution of a
ground water reservoir sanctuary in the Zone
O (river Yamuna) in Delhi
- MOUD to accordingly revise the MPD 2021 to
ensure that the Zone O is made inviolate as
recommended both by the MPD 1962 and
1982
- MOEF to move the Hon. SC to seek full
implementation of the water sharing MOU
between the states of UA, HP, UP, Haryana
and Delhi to ensure the minimum flow in the
river Yamuna
- The proposed site of the CG 2010 village is
immediately changed so that no time is lost
in making requisite preparations for the
organization of the said games.
- Similarly any work on the proposed Signature
Bridge is stopped till its feasibility and
desirability is fully established
- All other ongoing earth works (including the
so called Global Village) in river Yamuna are
put on a hold till an environmental review
has been conducted by an independent panel
SHORT TERM MEASURE
- A citizen’s white paper on river Yamuna is
prepared and presented to the nation’s
Parliament through the people’s
representatives
- A thorough professional and transparent
review of YAP is carried out in a time bound
measure and till then all plans to clean the
Yamuna including the so called Thames model
plan is put on a hold
- Delhi government promulgates a rain water
harvest law to ensure that it becomes a
practice enforceable by law
- All existing encroachment in the river bed and
flood plains (both by the state and by private
agencies / individuals) be reviewed and
recommended by a independent panel
consisting of experts and concerned civil
society representatives including the
representatives of the RWAs
- The nation’s parliament and the states
consider the advisability of including the rivers
and the water in to the concurrent list of the
Constitution so that a national law on the vital
issue is possible to enact and implement
- A notification under EPA empowers the MOEF
to get periodical EIAs (post construction)
carried out of all such structures and
constructions which have a potential to either
pollute or endanger the safety of natural
systems like rivers and lakes.
10 What Is This Campaign About?

LONG TERM MEASURE
- A people’s movement all along the length of
the river (Delhi, Mathura and Agra in
particular) takes up the task of the cleaning
of the river Yamuna with a missionary zeal
- Rain water harvesting becomes a well
accepted norm in the country
- A regulated drawal limited to an annual
recharge estimates from the Ground water
reservoir Sanctuary (Zone O) in Delhi meets
most of the water shortfall in the city
- The proposed dams on the key tributaries of
the river Yamuna are taken up to augment
dry season flow in the river
- The WYC and EYC are repaired to plug
transport losses
- Proposed Satluj- Yamuna link and Sharda –
Yamuna link are established
What Is This Campaign About?
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