By Brij Khandelwal
2025.09.15 (Vrindavan Today News): The Yamuna River, a lifeline for millions and a cradle of cultural heritage, is choking under a deluge of debris, sludge, and excessive silt in Agra, Mathura, and Vrindavan following recent floods.
This alarming accumulation has drastically reduced the river’s water-carrying capacity, heightening the risk of devastating floods in low-lying communities, threatening the fragile ecological balance, and endangering iconic heritage sites like the Taj Mahal and historic riverfront ghats.
The crisis demands immediate, coordinated action to avert recurring disasters, protect livelihoods, and preserve the region’s irreplaceable cultural legacy. Without swift intervention, the Yamuna’s plight could spiral into an environmental and cultural catastrophe.
In Agra, Mathura, and Vrindavan, the Yamuna’s riverbed mirrors the troubling conditions seen in Delhi, where unchecked siltation between Wazirabad and Okhla has diminished river depth and flow, causing dangerous backflows into drainage systems and triggering widespread waterlogging.
Similar symptoms plague these cities: floodplains constricted by unregulated construction, natural overflow zones lost to encroachment, and residential colonies repeatedly inundated. Post-flood satellite imagery reveals substantial sediment buildup under bridges and at ghats, obstructing the river’s hydraulic flow and raising grave concerns for both infrastructure stability and heritage preservation.
The Central Water Commission and the National Mission for Clean Ganga have long warned that uncontrolled silt deposition exacerbates flood spread, damages embankments, and accelerates riverbank erosion, underscoring the urgency of addressing this crisis.
The scale of recent flooding in Mathura and Vrindavan has been particularly severe, compounding the region’s vulnerability. In Mathura, floodwaters inundated over 50 villages along the Yamuna’s banks, displacing thousands and submerging farmlands critical to local livelihoods. Vrindavan’s sacred ghats, integral to spiritual tourism, were overwhelmed by muddy waters, with debris and silt clogging key sites like Keshi Ghat and damaging infrastructure.
The floods disrupted daily life, closed roads, and strained civic systems, leaving communities grappling with contaminated water supplies and heightened disease risks.
These events highlight the river’s diminished capacity to handle monsoon surges, a problem worsened by years of neglect and inadequate waste management. The cultural and economic toll in these pilgrimage hubs, where the Yamuna holds profound spiritual significance, cannot be overstated.
The situation demands immediate, multifaceted action. A rapid assessment by the Central Water Commission, Irrigation Department, and Pollution Control Board is essential to gauge the extent of debris and silt accumulation.
Authorities must urgently petition the National Green Tribunal for permission to undertake controlled dredging, ensuring compliance with environmental safeguards to protect the river’s ecosystem. While large-scale dredging of major rivers is restricted to minimize ecological harm, the Tribunal has previously allowed targeted interventions, such as desilting near Delhi’s Wazirabad barrage in 2015 and localized dredging in sections of the Ganga and Brahmaputra, when public safety and infrastructure were at stake.
Braj region’s global cultural significance, coupled with comparable risks, warrants similar measures.
Concurrently, immediate clearance of visible debris, plastic waste, and sludge along riverbanks and ghats is critical, particularly at choke points obstructing water flow.
Time-bound, ecologically sensitive dredging in critical stretches must follow to restore the river’s carrying capacity, paired with robust measures like improved sewage treatment and upstream waste management to prevent re-siltation.
To ensure transparency and accountability, a monitoring committee comprising experts from the Archaeological Survey of India, local universities, environmental groups, and community stakeholders should oversee the process.
A strict 30–45 day timeline for primary interventions is vital to prepare for the next flood season and mitigate the risk of intensified flooding, water contamination, and community displacement.
The stakes could not be higher. If left unaddressed, the Yamuna’s deteriorating condition threatens more severe flooding, irreparable damage to heritage monuments, and widespread disruption to lives and livelihoods.
This is not merely an environmental crisis but a matter of cultural and economic survival for Agra, Mathura, and Vrindavan. Authorities must act decisively, providing a clear action plan and engaging relevant departments to restore the Yamuna’s health. The river, a symbol of India’s heritage and spiritual identity, demands urgent rescue before it is too late.
Shri Brij Khandelwal is a senior journalist from Agra. He was associated with different prominent news agencies. He taught journalism at Agra University for the Central Hindi Institute’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication for over three decades. He is a senior member of ‘Vrindavan Today’s editorial board’.
