Okhla: A barrage of problems

Not very long ago, Delhiites went to the Yamuna riverfront at Okhla for picnic. Not very long ago, events like the National Sailing Regatta were held at Kalindi Kunj, Okhla. And, not very long ago, there was abundant fish in the Yamuna.

Imagine there was a river - open panel discussion at Okhla Barrage

Yamuna Katha core team member Bhola Kashyap, 41, is a resident of Madanpur Khadar but spends most of the time at the Okhla ghat. Bhola is a fisherman and also a ‘life guard’ for the Okhla ghat. He belongs to a community called kewat, which are traditionally into fishing.
Not much into studies, Bhola jumped into business at a tender age. He now has the fishing trade license for the area downstream of Okhla barrage. He also has a number of boats. “Rozi roti hee Jamuna se hai. (My very livelihood comes from Yamuna).” They call the river as ‘Jamuna Maiyya’.

Chothe Khan, Bhola and Shubham Mishra 

“Our community’s link with the Yamuna is beyond words,” Babita said. They have a Yamuna idol and the lady of the house worships it daily.
The time and the location for the open forum discussion ‘Imagine there was a river’ was apt. Coming days after the Durga puja visarjan (immersion), the river bank lay scattered with an array of wooden and plaster of Paris skeletons used to support Durga puja idols. Much of them had refused to flow away with the river and came floating back to the bank making it appalling than ever. 

Durga Puja idols

... turning from sacred idols into pollution

On the last day of the Yamuna Katha, Rakhshanda Jalil from the Council for Social Development and Arif Ali, who teaches at the Jamia Milia Islamia joined the Yamuna Katha team here. Also present was the Yamuna Katha team: Anaya, Shubham, Bhola, Chhotu, Babita, Gayatri, Rashid, Kalia, Aparna, Arif, Rakhshanda, Regina and Vidhu. Three fishermen from the locality Bhupender Kanhaiyyalal Sahani, Aseshwar Sahani (Bihar, Muzzafarpur) and Mohammed Shakil Khan along with Bhola’s uncle Ratan Singh too joined in.
Arif initiated the discussion expressing sadness about the sorry state of the Yamuna today. “I have spent my childhood on the banks of the Yamuna. Later on when I travelled all over the world and saw how in foreign lands how they keep their rivers clean, it pains me more over the plight of Yamuna,” he rued. 

Prof. Arif Ali 

Rakshanda joined in to add that she has seen the area changing drastically and for bad. “We have turned blind towards the river. We have stopped coming here and may be, that’s the reason for deteriorating conditions.”
Bhupender, Aseshwar and Shakil informed they use fish nets to catch fish and stay on the Yamuna banks itself. “But pollution has brought down the quantity of the catch. There is less and less water over the years.” 
An academician that he is, Arif quickly presented the statistical reality: “Delhi has only 2 % of entire length of Yamuna, but we contribute up to 90 % of its pollution.”
Sitting on a riverfront of toxic foam today, Okhla was not always like this always. One of the oldest villages of Delhi, maximum of the residents are original Delhi walas, prominent among them being herdsmen, gwale, ghosi, kumhars etc (names of the communities drawn from their traditional occupation). 
The Okhla riverfront was developed as a picnic spot way back in 1870s by the British. But up to 1950s and 1960s, there was no public transport to reach here and only people with own vehicle came. That was why the accessibility was restricted. It was an isolated, but a vibrant riverfront.  

Local fisherman engaging in the discussion

But slowly the city’s population started being a burden on the river. Pollution has almost killed the river. Bhola chipped in, rather he is confident: if the river becomes pollution free again, only then people of Delhi will flock to it. It prompted Shubham to warn: though it is important that people keep come to the river, but there has to be a debate as to what kind of a riverfront we want? Involvement of locals is equally important too.
Aparna posed a practical problem: “Bhola wants more and more clear water for fish. A person sitting at Dwarka wants the river’s clear water for drinking. Bhola and I do not speak the same language. We do not share a common past. So how can we talk of a common future? Who will work out the framework?”
Regina put the things in context as she pointed out that it is necessary to discuss all kinds of usage of the river, river water and river floodplains too. Quickly Bhola vent his ire at the pollution caused by Durga puja immersion and other such occasion. “Nobody fines them for pollution?” 

Gayatri Chatterjee, Regina Dube, Rakshandra Jalil

Aparna justified, “Visarjan can be seen. What about that which is unseen? The industrial pollution cannot be seen.” 
Bhola refused to buy the argument. “Before the Visarjan, the Chhath puja etc, the entire machinery is put to work … they clean the ghats, they release more water and for a day or two, Yamuna and the banks are clean. If they can do it for three times a year, why can’t they do it for rest of the year?”
The session ended on a high note as Rakshanda supported Bhola, “While we ponder for long term things and make plans, I think Bhola’s idea is ‘doable’.”

Fisherman fishing in filthy water in front of Okhla Barrage

And with renewed vigour ‘it is possible’, the Yamuna Katha team headed for lunch, after which was the winding up session at the hotel. 

From the wrestlers to the river

The day had started with an akhara visit. An akhara is a traditional training center for Indian wrestlers. Here at Sanjay Pehelwan Akhara the trainees practice both Indian and western stlyle wrestling. Whereas the western style is happening on mats the Indian style of this age-old sports is practiced on sand that is enriched with turmeric, neem tree leaves and other antiseptics to help curing scratches and minor wounds. The akhara was a tree-shaded places, safe surroundings for practicing wrestling for young and old alike. A Spartan semi-kuchcha structure housed the sportsmen. “After a rigorous training session, we take bath. Nowadays, because the Yamuna is so polluted, we use tap water. But earlier, it used to be: jump into river directly,” said one of them. Slowly things are changing and now! 

Wrestlers at training session early in the morning

Boat journey
If the earlier two days were for introduction to the object of the Yamuna Katha, the river Yamuna, day three promised an intimate rapport. The day when Yamuna would open up her wounds and make the Yamuna Katha yatris look inwards.


After an early morning visit to the symbols of Akhara culture – or whatever still remains of it – the core group members were up at the Qudsia Ghat by forenoon. Three boats were engaged to take them through the river, literally.


In house river expert Dwijender Kalia donned the role of a spokesman for the battered Yamuna. “Yamuna sabko sharan deti hai. (Yamuna gives shelter to all and sundry, who come to her). Yamuna is specially a place of refuge for all those pushed away by the civil society.”
For the team Yamuna Katha, it was a sort of curtain raiser for things to come. Waiting for them was the ‘kalindi’ (blackish) and also that which is a sister of Yama, the Lord of Death. By the time, Yamuna reaches Qudsia ghat, it has already assimilated sewage from a number of drains, a major being the Najafgarh drain. Water colour is stark dark black with garbage, plastic, flowers and filth floating on it.

River specialist Dwijendra Kalia is in his element

The professor, who is an activist in his own right, also went on to tell how the contours of the Qudsia ghat changed as more and more bridges were built across the Yamuna. Every time a new bridge is built, houses, temples and any structure below it is demolished.
As the boats rowed upstream, on the west side was the drain. Open, untreated sewage, and volume so much, as if it is a small tributary meeting the main river. “This brings in sewage from Shahjahanabad,” Kalia, who knows the Yamuna as well as the city inside out informs. 
One of the boatmen Giridhari Lal, 30, said he is in the profession for 10-15 years. A resident of ghat number 1, he has now-a-days taken to another profession to earn the daily bread and comes to row the boats only once-in-a-while. “Pehle bahut public aati thee.  Ab paani maila ho gaya hai toh public nahi aati. (Earlier there used to be lot of people who came for boating. Now when the water is mucky, nobody comes.)”


“The pollution is so bad that even if by mistake one’s hands are dipped in Yamuna waters, one gets pimples on the hands. Your hands itch continuously,” he rued at the fate of his life giver river.


A little more upstream was the Nigambodh ghat, a place where Hindu people cremate their dead. Kalia pitches in, “Once when Vedas (sacred Hindu scriptures) gone missing, the script was recovered floating here. So the name Nigam Bodh (knowledge of the ultimate) ghat (stepped embankment).”


The members could see bodies burning at the pyres and mourning relatives. Curiously, the relatives of the deceased stared at team Yamuna, what with each of them having a camera in hand, either a still amateur camera or the camera crew continuously video-shooting the event.  
Then came the modern day remains of the once glorious Yamuna Bazar. Another boatman Mahesh Chand Sharma. He stays at ghat number 2. The Yamuna river is part and parcel of the individuals living along the ghat. This was exemplified when Mahesh said, “Even today, there is Jamuna aarti mornings and evenings without fail. Whenever they want to start any new work, Jamuna maai ko dudh chadhate hai. Teej tyohar par pehle puja (Yamuna mother is given the milk first, festive seasons sees first offerings and then only rest other work. Even if there is someone sick at home, the first prayer is to their beloved Jamunaji.”


Kalia goes on to add that Yamuna Bazar occupied a pride of place in the cultural mindscapes of the old Delhiites. “I am one of them, I know. From elderly people coming for an evening stroll, to a young courting couple, students for swimming and housewives for a change and/or for some festivals, everybody and anybody from each house would visit Yamuna.
“But now, Yamuna Bazar is a slum,” Kalia adds even as the boats row past a number of dilapidated houses, some forced to demolish, some with owners languishing in poverty. “Why can’t the government take off all such structures which pose a danger to life?” he asks.
The signs of lost glory are hard to miss. Earlier the Yamuna Bazar would see much festivity all through the year. But now, a mela is held on dashahara and also at the time of Baisakhi. “But more than anything, it is the Chhath puja when maximum people throng the ghats,” Mahesh informed. Chhath puja is a worship of the Sun god on the sixth day after Diwali.
Rowing from below the old Loha pul (old iron bridge) was an overwhelming feeling. The sturdy bridge still serves the Indian Railways more than 100 years after it was built. 

Golden Jubilee of Yamuna’s riverfront destruction?

The sprawling green lawns bore no tell tale signs of being a riverfront. It was more of a manicured landscaped garden, which can be anywhere. In the background was the old Loha Pul, the sturdy iron bridge from British vintage.

Golden Jubilee Park with Loha Pul in the background

For a layman, the place was a wonderful opportunity to spend time by the river, though invisible from that point. However, it also offered a poignant reminder of the fact that in 2006, hundreds of people were rendered homeless after authorities evicted them forcibly.

Soon after its own golden jubilee, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) decided to give itself, a manicured lawn with several riverfront projects proposed.

This was the venue for an open air, open panel discussion: “Moving the Juggernaut called Delhi.” The Yamuna Katha team was joined by Manu Bhatnagar from Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage and German elected representative Marie Luise von Halem, also the member of one of the state parliaments in Germany.

Open discussion in Golden Jubilee Park

German member of state parliament
Marie Luise v. Halem engaging in the discussion

Initiating the discussion, Bhatnagar pointed out how rural areas are decreasing and urban areas are increasing. “Even in the city, the natural landscapes are vanishing and more and more artificial landscapes are coming up, just like this park.”

Immediately Chhote Khan got up to say, “The authorities removed the slums from this very place where we are sitting because they labeled them as dirtying the river. But they have not yet stopped pollution by way of sewage being emptied into the river through a number of drains. Bhatnagar added fire to it: “Pollution is just one problem. Other is the reduced flow of river.”

Echoed Bhola Kashyap: “My livelihood depends upon the river. Every year there is less and less water. Earlier there were crocodiles and farms all along the river bank.”

Bhola making his point

His Babita, who is an active partner in his business too, drew attention to the fact that almost eight months the river flows with it only garbage and filth. Only three months of monsoon, there is ample water and they get good catch.

GIZ’s Aparna Das played the devil’s advocate as she said, she is interested in “a river facing multi-storied apartment building. Why do we need crocodiles anyways?”

The discussion then went on touching various aspects such as clear water indicators, ground water recharge, more and more land being reclaimed in the name of bridges and various other structures, definition of city, approach of the administrators, what teachers can do and students do, riverfront development and so on and so forth.  

It also had death-knell sounding declaration by the faithful such as Bhola who asserted: “Yamuna will ultimately claim back its lost land.”

Gayatri Chatterjee, one of the core members, could empathies with this feeling. “I like the river-people connect. In fact, I react to the rivers,” she said.

Has a stong connection to rivers: Gayatri Chatterjee

Someone who had lived for five years by the side of the Ganga in West Bengal and later, when she lived in Bihar, could see Suvarnarekha from her house, she feels there is “something almost like punarjanma (re-birth) about my river connection. If I am travelling, sleeping, I wake up when I approach a river.”

On the same lines, the question if the students are taken to the riverfront was posed. The two teachers Urmi Chakraborty and Vidhu Narayanan admitted the students were not taken to the river. So was the DDA’s latest announcement about riverfront development was discussed threadbare and also discussed was the need to develop and nurture the ‘river connect’. “But will that attempt get my child a job tomorrow?” asked Aparna, playing the devil now.

Erupted Gayatri: “It is not a question of job market. We have to think in realistic terms. Children should know the relation between them and the river.” Gayatri, who teaches cinema in India and abroad too, said, “Teaching cinema, you turn into a social scientist or a philosopher, actually both.”

Now, since last 30 years settled in Pune. But when young she had traveled to places all over the country: UP, MP, Bihar and West Bengal etc. In her late 30s, she remembers coming from Muradnagar along in father’s car and halt at the roadside at the Yamuna. Coming down from the vehicle, they would go straight to the vehicle, which would be tarbuja, kakadi, Kharbuja etc.

Towards the end, the Yamuna Katha team was joined by another activist for another river. Anil Madhav Dave, who runs Narmada Samagra working in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, said, “Human beings think about the river as if his/her efforts would save the river. What can a human with a life span of 70-80 years do for a river that has been flowing since ages?” Dave said.     

The tone for conclusion was set by Sadhu ram, a rustic from the hinterlands: “The authorities have ‘shrunk’ the river. They put themselves above the Almighty.” 

Why can’t the ITO riverfront be like Jagatpur?

After treading the soft sand, one can enter the clear water and feel the cold flowing Yamuna. Looking around, standing besides the vegetable farms amidst the pollution free air, one can soak in the absolutely relaxing sight, a boon for a stressed city slicker. At times, one can even catch a glimpse of fresh catch by fishermen returning in their traditional wooden boats.

No, this is not a description of a camp by a Himalayan river. It is very much a part of the megalopolis Delhi. Jagatpur in north Delhi gave an “unexpected” “can’t believe we are in Delhi” feeling to most of the Yamuna Katha members and other yatris.

Yamunabank in Jagatpur

Exception was Chhote Khan, a 32-year-old farmer who lives on the Yamuna floodplains almost six months a year. His large joint family stays near Shashtri Park on the eastern bank of Yamuna. “We call her Jamunaji.”

Every member of his family is associated with Jamunaji in some or the other capacity, most of them in agriculture practice. Just like that at Jagatpur, Chhote’s family too has 35 bighas of land on lease.

“We go there to stay on the very next day of Diwali. We live in temporary houses. We stay there till minimum June 15, a designated date after which the authorities can release water upstream without warning,” he informs.     

Akansha Dwivedi, 23 and Arun Raj, 23, both volunteers of the NGO Force, are working on a campaign called ‘blue city campaign’. They had joined the Yamuna Katha yatris for a day for the Jagatpur visit. Even after several minutes of reaching Jagatpur, it was a bit hard for Arun to actually believe that he was in Delhi. “After knowing filthy areas such as Nigambodh ghat and Okhla barrage, this is simply wonderful. This place was unknown to me earlier.”

Akansha Dwivedi and Arun Raj, volunteers of the NGO Force in conversation with Germans

Then there was female elephant Rupa joining the team at the riverfront. Rupa’s mahaut Akram Khan has been tending the animal for last 2-3 years. Before too Akram was into keeping elephants. “Elephants can recognize humans with smell. Just by smelling, an elephant can know if the mahaut has handled any elephants.”

Elephant Rupa getting make up

Rupa’s owner is Zahid Ahmed. Handling elephants is akin to handling humans. They have emotions. Few are good and few are stubborn, just like brats. But all said and done, it is Rupa’s “simplicity” what Zahid likes the most.

The almost virgin riverfront offered several other “new” things for the majority of Yamuna Katha group as coming from urbane conditioning, fishing, livestock and farming were novelty for them. The riverbank also offered a series of photo opportunities for the shutterbugs.

First came a bunch of fishermen carrying a newly painted wooden boat to be tried in water. While they were readying the boat, came along another boat with 5-6 fishermen readying for embarking on a fishing expedition upstream of the Yamuna. Bhola Kashyap, resident of the Okhla ghat who has fishing trade license, immediately took charge.

One by one, Bhola showed the catch, told names and USP. He also regaled the members with fishing expedition anecdotes. But nobody was quite prepared to witness a herd of buffaloes, blowing dust on their way towards water, gently sliding into the water and swiftly swimming to the riverine island. The buffaloes from Jagatpur village swim to the islands every morning and come back the same way every evening.

Local fishermen catching fish in Yamuna

After much frolicking and fun time, several team members went for a walk along the Yamuna. On one side was the water, waves gently lapping the sandy bank, and on the other side was large swathe of agriculture farms with a variety of vegetables grown.

Chhote continued to inform: Tori, Ghiya, Karela, Kheera, Tomatoes, Kharbuja and Tarbuja are the commonly grown things on the Yamuna floodplains.  “Vegetable farming is a gamble. There is no guarantee that the return on investment would be complete,” the barely literate Chhote – who claimed to be a brat in school days and hence did not study much – said in what was a practical wisdom backed statement. True, as unseasonal rains frequently wash away the agriculture crop.

Generally farmers tilling the Yamuna floodplains go in for three sowings. Then, whichever is ready first, will be take out.

“Whatever it may be, but always the first offering will be given to Polbagh dargah. Nobody knows exactly where but it is believed it is inside the Yamuna somewhere. It is also called Khwaja Khadar, a dargah deep inside the Yamuna,” he said. All Muslim families will offer chawal ki kheer (rice pudding) to this dargah.

Chhote kept on comparing farming at Jagatpur with that near his place while Bhola rued the absence of such practices near Okhla, simply because the riverfront is encroached and the water too toxic.

However, unlike earlier times, when they planted tarbuja and kharbuja, it is stopped now for almost two decades. “These plants tend to soak in high toxins.” The farmers dug bore wells into the river bed for drinking and agriculture needs.

After the walk, everybody proceeded for the next halt Ramghat, just north of Wazirabad. Team members mingled with each other over the delicious lunch. 

Ramghat

The ghat (stepped embankment) was another out-of-Delhi experience for the Yamuna Katha team, which had several German nationals too. The waterfront was so similar to a rural ghat. “Why didn’t we know these wonderful places earlier?” was a question on everybody’s lips as they departed for the next stop.