‘Let Yamuna Flow’: A River’s Appeal to Political Parties

Reviving Yamuna River

May 20, 2024SANDRP

In the wake of Lok Sabha election 2024 in Delhi on May 25, the civil societies and concerned citizens on behalf of River Yamuna appeal to the political parties to address the critical issue of absence of environmental flows adversely impacting the river health in the national capital.

Yamuna River: Some Facts and Ground Realities  

Contrary to popular prevalent discourse around pollution of Yamuna which has only increased, the Yamuna is dried up water course in upper segment and ecologically dead in Delhi primarily in absence of environmental flows in the river during lean season spanning Nov to June every year.

Presently, the 1376 km long river from Yamnotri to Prayagraj is free flowing for only first 100 km upto 120 Mw Vyasi HEP dam in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Hereafter, the flows in the river are disproportionately diverted through barrages including Dakpathar, Asan in Uttarakhand, Hathnikund (HKB) in Haryana and Wazirabad Delhi.

In the past few decades, the unsustainable extraction of river water for meeting the hydro power, irrigation, industrial and potable water demands have deprived the Yamuna of its flows, converting the once perennial river into a seasonal one all along its about 350 km long segment between Vyasi HEP and Wazirabad Barrage, Delhi.

Lacking the essential flows, the river is unable to perform its basic hydrological and ecological functions including sediment transportation, supporting aquatic and riparian eco-system and recharge of groundwater aquifers among others.

Simultaneously, the already over-stressed river eco-system is further being exploited by excessive mechanized riverbed mineral mining activities, withdrawal of groundwater in river adjoining areas to irrigate water intensive crops and increase in discharge of domestic and industrial effluents.

The founding basin of Yamuna in Himalayan segment is just 2.8% of the total 3,66,220 sqkm basin area. There are 46 dams, barrages and hydroelectric projects including 9 built, 6 under construction and 31 proposed on Yamuna and its key tributaries in this geologically and climatically sensitive basin.

Due to water abstraction and catchment degradation the water flow in Yamuna rivers in Himalayan and upper segment is gradually on the decline.

In about 200 km stretch of upper segment between HKB and Wazirabad barrages, there is no perennial tributary feeding the river. The Somb in Yamuna Nagar, Maskara in Saharanpur and Sahibi in Delhi were once perennial rivers in this stretch, but are now seasonal streams and polluted drains. 

There are Dhanaura escape in Karnal, Drain Number 2 in Panipat, Drain Number 6 & 8 in Sonipat dumping untreated effluents in massive amount into the river. The 22 km river stretch in Delhi itself is heavily polluted by 22 drains.

As a result of these anthropogenic activities, the around 600 km long river stretch between Delhi to Agra is listed among most polluted stretch in the country and the river in lower segment is survived mainly on flows supplied by Chambal, Sindh, Betwa, Ken and other tributaries.

Flows A Must for Yamuna’s Revival in Delhi

Barring monsoon months, River Yamuna in Delhi is merely a stinking, pollution carrying drain. The river water is unsuitable for bathing purposes and unfit to support any aquatic eco-system in the river.

The Upper Yamuna Basin Board (UYRB) 1994 agreement allows maintenance of paltry 10 cumecs as environmental flows in the Yamuna for Delhi segment. In June 2015, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered increase in water releases downstream HKB from currently claimed 160 cusecs (4.5 cumecs) to 356 cusecs (10 cumecs). However, both the UYRB agreement and NGT order face non-compliance in absence of independent monitoring. Both are also not based on any science or studies.

Moreover, a study by National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee in 2019 found the 10 cumecs flows as inadequate and recommended to increase it to 23 cumecs.

The Parliamentary Committee report “Review of Upper Yamuna River Cleaning Projects upto Delhi and Riverbed Management in Delhi” tabled in the Parliament on Feb. 06, 2024 shows that all the concerned authorities including Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have accepted the fact that pollution level in Yamuna in Delhi stretch are high due to absence of environmental flows.

The report clearly states that even if all the sewage treatment plants (STP) in Delhi work in optimum condition, there would be negligible improvement in Yamuna river water quality on account of lack of minimum flows required for dilution of pollution.

Despite this, there has been no progress in this direction over past five years by concerned departments in Yamuna basin states. On the contrary, there are various plans in process to abstract more water from the river in monsoon and lean season including creations of dams on Yamuna tributaries in Shivalik and on Yamuna itself upstream of HKB in Haryana.

It must be noted that the figure of 10 cumecs under UYRB agreement was conditional to construction of three big dams namely Lakhwar on Yamuna, Kishau on Tons and Renuka on Giri rivers in Himalayan segment of the river. The MoJS has been wrongly, without any science or studies claiming that after construction of these dams the 10 cumecs flows would address the requirement of environmental flows in the river.

The fact of the matter is that this 10 cumces is already supposedly and officially being released in the river downstream HKB after NGT June 2015 order which had made no difference. In reality, the dams would further destroy Yamuna river and claims of these dams to address the problem of environmental flows in the river are plain unscientific, fraudulent and devoid of fact or logic.

From the point of the river, environmental flow of fresh water of 50 percent is required to be mandated if the Yamuna is to sustain its ecological functions and dilute pollution. Unless, the e-flows are restored all existing and future plans and projects to clean the river in Delhi will not achieve the targeted results.

Just for the record, since 1993 ₹ 4111.98 crore has been already been spent in river cleaning infrastructural projects in Yamuna basin states. The expenditure includes ₹ 1514.70 crore spent under Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) – I & II and ₹ 2597.28 crore under NMCG (out of sanctioned ₹ 5834.7 crore) in past three decades. However, pollution level in Yamuna has only witnessed gradual rise.

This fact again evidently signifies the critical need for restoration of environmental flows in the Yamuna. The demand of restoring environmental flows in the river is long pending, well recognized and quite feasible as the 2009 study titled Reviving River Yamuna: An Actionable Blue Print for a ‘Blue River’ by noted Yamuna crusader Late Shri Manoj Misra shows.

In another 2013 research document Yamuna Manifesto by Toxics Links and PEACE Institute, academics and experts have offered solutions to key Yamuna problems. What is missing is political will and genuine intent by the central and state governments.   

Some Workable Suggestions to Increase E-Flows in Yamuna

Broadly, a large part of more than 700 cumecs water diverted annually from the river into Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) through HKB is for irrigational requirement in Haryana which can be reduced to great extent by promoting and adopting to water efficient crops, farm biodiversity, efficient irrigation methods in Yamuna water dependent areas. The water savings in irrigation can meet Yamuna e-flows demand to great extent.

Then the consumption of 261.02 million liter per day (MLD) fresh water and resultant generation of 144.4 MLD effluents by 1566 industrial units located in Himachal Pradesh (HP), Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Delhi can be reduced by optimal treatment and reuse of waste water by these industrial units.

Similarly, the Delhi (3600 MLD) and Haryana (1507 MLD) states are alone generating 5100 MLD sewage while the existing installed STP capacity is 4700 MLD (including 2874 in Delhi & 1835 in Haryana) and the actual utilization of STP capacity is about 3900 MLD (including 2486 MLD in Delhi and 1466 MLD in Haryana).

This means both the states are discharging more than 1150 MLD untreated sewage in the river. Moreover, out of total 191 STPs in these states 86 STPs are recently found non-complying to the prescribed norms which means even the quality of ‘treated’ sewage is poor.

Creation of decentralized STPs, involvement of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and independent citizens in monitoring of STPs performance can improve the functioning of STPs and waste water quality when governance of the STPs is made accountable, transparent and participatory with clearly defined norms. There is urgent need for efficient treatment of waste water and policy to encourage use of treated water in irrigation, non-potable, industrial and construction activities.

All the STPs in Yamuna basin must be given to private companies to operate and their payment should be on the basis of meeting standards output. Thereafter quality treated water should be used for agriculture purposes so that more fresh water gets released in the river.

The dedicated efforts for rain water harvesting (RWH), protection of lakes, wetlands, other water bodies and green covers in urban towns of Haryana and Delhi can lessen the demand of river based potable water supply.

There is also need to recharge groundwater, augment potable water supply that will facilitate the release of base flows in river during lean season.

Ideally, around 600 million gallon per day (MGD) of Delhi’s potable water supply from Yamuna should come through river and not via canal. The focused intervention and sincere plans, steps on above mentioned suggestions can undoubtedly resolve the threats of pollution and lack of environmental flows in the river to great extent.

Decisive Actions    

The three proposed dams Lakhwar, Kishau, Renuka on Yamuna and its tributaries must be scrapped as the rivers’ hydrology is inadequate to sustain a dam and these will only worsen the ecological and hydrological health of the river.

The Central Government must constitute an autonomous Yamuna River Commission of independent scientists and experts to chalk out detailed plan for revival of Yamuna rivers in Himalayan and upper segment.

The UYRB’s 1994 agreement due for review next year in May 2025, must facilitate consensus among basin governments to increase environmental flows downstream HKB as recommended by NIH, Roorkee in 2019 and Yamuna Parliamentary Committee in Feb. 2024.

The MoJS, Central Water Commission (CWC), NMCG, CPCB need to work out plan to ensure release of 50 percent of available water downstream every existing HEP, dam, barrage projects built in Himalayan and upper segment of the river. This can be achieved in phase wise manner and must be legally binding.  

The large scale unsustainable, mechanized riverbed mining operations in upper segment are depriving the river of lean season flows and destroying the remaining aquatic and riparian biodiversity of the river. The mining projects must be undertaken only after credible replenishment studies, District Survey Reports (DSR) and Cumulative Environment Impact Assessments (EIA).

Importantly, the performance of main institutions dealing with river water distribution, pollution and mining affairs including UYRB, CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) in Uttarakhand, Haryana, UP and Delhi is significantly cripped by shortage of human resources, funds and most importantly independent oversight and credible accountable governance.

Presently, 285 posts (65%) against the sanctioned 450 in SPCB, Haryana; 293 posts (40%) against sanctioned 732 in UPPCB and 233 (68%) against the sanctioned 344 posts in DPCC are lying vacant. Similarly, there are only 5 official working in UYRB against the sanctioned post of 58. The situation of Forest, Mining and Revenue departments is equally worse. The institutions must be empowered earliest with adequate human and financial resources to enable them safeguard the interest of rivers. 

The 27th Yamuna Parliamentary Committee recommendations including creation of District Yamuna Committees (DYC) and establishing of Clean Yamuna Funds (CYF) must be implemented in letter and spirit and all such committee must have at least 50% non-government, independent members including women members. 

The demands and statements are endorsed by below mentioned experts and civil society groups.

1. Shashi Shekhar (IAS), Former Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD & GR). shekhar.shashi1956@gmail.com

2. Nivedita Khandekar, Delhi Citizen, nivedita_him@rediffmail.com

3. Bhavreen Kandhari, Warrier Moms. bhavreenkandhari@gmail.com

4. Venkatesh Dutta, Prof Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow. dvenks@gmail.com

5. Vikrant Tongad, Social Action for Forest & Environment (SAFE) Vikranttongad@gmail.com

6. Verhaen Khanna, New Delhi Nature Society (NDNS), newdelhinaturesociety@gmail.com

7. Sudha Mohan, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan (YJA), sudhababa@gmail.com

8. Diwan Singh, Convener, Natural Heritage First. diwans2007@gmail.com

9. Friends of River Yamuna (Yamuna Nadi Mitra Mandli)

10. Padmavati Dwivedi, Compassionate Living. padmavedi@rediffmail.com

11. Paras Tyagi, Centre for Youth Culture Law & Environment (CYCLE). reachcycle@gmail.com

12. Bhim Singh Rawat, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP). Bhim.sandrp@gmail.com

13. K. J. Joy, Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management, Pune joykjjoy2@gmail.com

14. Siddharth Agarwal, Veditum India Foundation, Kolkata, asid@veditum.org

15. Manu Bhatnagar, INTACH, Delhi, manucentaur@gmail.com