Press Release
Urgent : Encroachment and Destruction of Yamuna Floodplains
16th February, 2016 | New Delhi
A
group of public intellectuals and social activists have written a
letter Hon'ble President, Prime minister and concerned government
representatives to stop the encroachment and destruction of Yamuna
Floodplains. The 35th Anniversary
of the 'Art of Living' Foundation, a private organisation formed by Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar ji is scheduled in March, 2016. The work is in
progress, which is destabilising and destructing the ecosystem of river
as floodplains are getting encroached and damaged largely, which used to
play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and health of the
river.
Please go through the letter pasted below and also find the attached pictorial report of Yamuna Floodplains.
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[LETTER SENT TO]
To,
1. Shri Pranab Mukherjee,
Hon'ble President of India,
Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi
2. Shri Narendra Modi,
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India,
7, Race Course Road, New Delhi
3. Sushri Uma Bharti,
Union Minister of Water Resources, Ganga Rejuvenation and River Development,
Shramshakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi
4. Shri Prakash Javadekar,
Minister of State of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (IC)
Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bagh Road, New Delhi
5. Shri Najeeb Jung,
Lieutenant Governor, Delhi
6. Shri Arvind Kejriwal,
Chief Minister, Delhi
7. Vice Chairman,
Delhi Development Authority, New Delhi
Respected Sir and Madam,
Urgent : Encroachment and Destruction of Yamuna Floodplains
The media reports inform about your honour's plans to participate in March 2016 at the planned celebrations of the 35th Anniversary of the 'Art of Living' Foundation, a private organisation formed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji.
Under
the normal circumstances, your participation at any such event would
not raise any issue of concern. However, in the present instance, when
the said event is being planned after clearing, compacting, dumping of
earth and construction underway over some 1000 acres of the active flood
plain of river Yamuna in Delhi, and the matter being sub-judice at the
National Green Tribunal in OA No 65 of 2016 as prima facie the said
preparations are in violation of the NGT judgment of 13 January 2015 in
OA No 6 of 2012 and OA No 300 of 2013, your honour's participation might
appear to lend legitimacy to an illegal activity.
We would like to draw your attention to a pictorial report (enclosed)
that highlights through comparative photos of Sept 15, 2015 and Feb 5,
2016, how a verdant flood plain has got systematically destroyed and is
being converted for the event. It may be added here that Yamuna
floodplains has already suffered many encroachments and this additional
encroachment will only make the situation worse.
According to India’s current National Water policy, “Conservation
of rivers, river corridors, water bodies and infrastructure should be
undertaken in a scientifically planned manner through community
participation… Environmental needs of Himalayan regions, aquatic
eco-system, wet lands and embanked flood plains need to be recognized
and taken into consideration while planning.” In current case, the National Water Policy stands violated.
According to experts the integrity of flood plains of rivers are the river's life lines in the following manner[1]: “Floodplain
waters contain at least 100 times more species than do river channels,
and there is growing evidence that many, if not all, of the species that
live in rivers depend in some way on floodplains. Floodplains are
nature’s water treatment works, removing vast quantities of pollutants
from inland river waters. They also provide rivers with the building
blocks of life, which are used by everything from bacteria to fish”. It is clear that current event is destroying the Yamuna floodplains and all the associated services it provides.
Some
opine that but it is just a small fraction of a large area. But a
violation of rule of law remains a violation, however, small it is shown
to be and sets a bad precedent. Just like a boil that could turn into a
cancer on a human body, every bit of flood plain of a river if lost or
converted jeopardises the river's health. As we all know, Yamuna
riverbed and floodplain already stands encroached.
Some
other's opine that but it is just for few days. Sir, again the event
might be for few days but the devastation that results from its
preparatory and operational phase (specially of the dimension of this
event where some 35 lakh persons are expected to participate and a stage
spread over some 7 acres is planned to be constructed) would outlasts
decades in terms of river Yamuna's health, which already is in no great
shape.
Accordingly
it is our humble request to your honour to kindly reconsider your
plans, so as not to lend legitimacy with your august presence to an
event that is under the NGT's scanner for violation of its prohibition
imposed in January 2015 and is setting such a problematic precedent.
We will look forward to hearing from you,
Yours Sincerely,
1. EAS Sarma, Former Secretary, Govt of India, Vishakhapatnam, eassarma@ gmail.com
2. Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Madhya Pradesh nba.medha@gmail.com
3. Madhu Bhaduri, former ambassador of India, Delhi, madhu.bhaduri@gmail.com
4. Paritosh Tyagi, Chairman & Managing Trustee-IDC Foundation, N Delhi paritoshtyagi@gmail.com
5. Bharat Jhunjhunwala, Former Professor, IIM-B, Uttarakhand, bharatjj@gmail. com
6. Dr Latha Anantha, River Research Centre, Thrissur, latha.anantha9@ gmail.com
7. Samir Mehta, River Basin Friends, Mumbai, samir.meht@gmail.com
8. Dr Sudhirendar Sharma, Ecological Foundation, Delhi, sudhirendarsharma@ gmail.com
9. Vimal Bhai, Matu Jan Sangathan, Uttarakhand, bhaivimal@gmail. com
10. Malika Virdi, Himal Prakriti, Munsiari, Uttarakhand, malika.virdi@ gmail.com
11. Emmanuel Theophilus, Himal Prakriti, Munsiari, Uttarakhand, etheophilus@ gmail.com
12. Ramnarayan. K, Himal Prakriti, Munsiari, Uttarakhand, ramnarayan.k@ gmail.com
13. Parineeta Dandekar, SANDRP, Pune, parinieeta.dandekar@ gmail.com
14. Himanshu Thakkar, SANDRP, Delhi, ht.sandrp@gmail.com