2024.07.05 (Vrindavan Today News): Ramon Magsaysay Award winner and renowned water conservationist, Rajendra Singh, also known as the Waterman of India, has stated that the Hathni Kund Barrage built over the Yamuna River in Haryana is a river killer. Due to this barrage, the flow in the Yamuna has ceased, turning it into a filthy freight drain. The government is not concerned about this issue. Both the government and citizens have a responsibility to keep the rivers flowing perennially. The future of Agra is more closely tied to the Yamuna than to the Taj Mahal.
Rajendra Singh was speaking at a water council organized by the Civil Society of Agra on Thursday at the Sheroes Hangout Café located in RK Puram. He said it is the government’s responsibility to keep the river and its environment clean. The river is not just a state or societal asset; it is a shared heritage of time. If the state and society become greedy and start polluting the rivers, then scientists and saints should take it upon themselves to stand up for rectification. He said the Hathni Kund Barrage and other dams on the Yamuna are killers of the river.
The people of Agra need to stage a Satyagraha at Hathni Kund to revive the Yamuna. Questioning the government’s plan to link rivers, Rajendra Singh said that the claim of resolving drought and flood crises by linking rivers is incorrect. It is not possible. This will only exacerbate the problems of floods and droughts.
Dams on Yamuna Will Not Solve the Problems
Rajendra Singh said that building a dam on the Yamuna in Agra might be a judicial matter, but it is not a solution to the water crisis. Agra’s future is more closely tied to the Yamuna than to the Taj Mahal, and the government is not concerned about the Yamuna, which has turned into a filthy freight train.
Courtesy of Civil Society of Agra: Rajendra Singh shared his thoughts at a water council organized at Sheroes Hangout Café on Thursday by the Civil Society of Agra.
Measures for Water Conservation
Literacy drives should be conducted for students in schools and colleges. Water councils should be organized. If students understand the importance of water sources, they will become aware of their conservation.
Climate change is altering weather patterns. Clouds are returning without rain. Dense greenery should be planted along the banks of the Yamuna and other rivers.
A balance should be maintained in the extraction and recharge of groundwater. For this, the Yamuna must be revived.
Instead of linking rivers flowing above the ground, efforts should be made to recharge groundwater. For groundwater recharge, the Yamuna must be revived. According to the Supreme Court’s orders, de-silting should be done in the river.
