Yamuna - sacred river or river of death?

Agra, Nov 18 - The Yamuna river, the largest tributary of the Ganges in northern India that once served as an enchanting backdrop for the Taj Mahal, is so polluted today that it poses a threat to the world famous monument as well as this city.

Architects and conservationists have expressed concern over the state of the river, claiming it can cause permanent damage to the foundation of the Taj, the spectacular monument to love.

Professor R. Nath, a noted historian of Mughal architecture,said: 'The Yamuna has been reduced to a nullah, draining industrial effluents, sewage, dirt and other toxic substances which are a real threat not only to human beings but also to the Taj Mahal.

'Some day the whole edifice could sink in or the minarets could dangerously tilt if the original ecological balance is not restored,' Nath told IANS.

The Yamuna is widely worshipped by devotees in India. A few centuries ago it prompted the Mughals to build one of their most magnificent monuments, the Taj Mahal,on its banks, but today it has been reduced to a pale and stinking drain.

S. Saha of the Central Pollution Control Board said, 'The Yamuna no longer conforms to any known parameters of a river.'

Last week, on three different occasions, hundreds of dead fish were found floating in the Yamuna. Pollution board officials found once again oily layers and big patches of toxic chemical wastes flowing into the river.

The discolouring of the water, according to pollution department sources, has been due to the large-scale release of industrial effluents by industries in Haryana and sari-dyeing units in nearby Mathura.

'Yamuna, despite all the religious sentiments attached to the holy river, has at present taken a deadly avatar as India's river of death,' said Surendra Sharma of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

The locals worry that the situation will worsen in summer.

'The sewage treatment plants are not working, the river hardly has enough raw water to be processed by the Agra Water Works. The water flowing down is jet black with a high level of toxicity, critical level of dissolved oxygen and traces of hydro carbons which can be carcinogenic in the long run,' said Shravan Kumar of the Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water.

Subijoy Dutta, founder president of the Yamuna Foundation in the US, told IANS on telephone: 'A precursor to this deadly pollution was observed by the 'Blue Yamuna' team.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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