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.

Yamuna at its best state – in Jagatpur village near Delhi

That Yamuna looks like a river – unlike the filthy drain – upstream of Wazirabad was known to many of the Yamuna Katha yatris. But no one – except of course Chhotu Khan and Rashid Khan – was ready for the sight at Jagatpur, a small prosperous village in north Delhi on Thursday morning.

Vast swathe of fertile alluvial soil with taller-than-human weeds, a dusty winding road from the bund road leading to the water front and then … water sans garbage, sans plastic waste, literally free from all kinds of pollution. “I just can’t believe we are in Delhi on the Yamuna bank,” said an excited Arun Raj, who works with Force, an NGO working on water.  

Arun, a passenger with the core group who joined for the day, had read about the history of the river and its connection with the city. “Delhi has remained just as a fragment of the glorious history,” he said.

Jagatpur river front visit became an important fragment for the Yamuna Katha yatris. The group members thrilled to find the company of none other than a female elephant Rupa. Almost everybody spent time in observing the elephant, clicking photographs, asking the mahavat about Rupa’s habit.

Elephant Rupe carrying passengers Claudia and Ellen
(photo: Alex Köcher)

Apart from the major attraction of the beautiful unlike-in-Delhi Yamuna, the riverfront offered other attractions and photo opportunities too. A bunch of fishermen were readying for embarking on a fishing journey up stream of the Yamuna; a tractor and its trolley were brought for washing; minutes later, another tractor-trolley brought a newly painted boat to be deployed in waters and last but not the least – and what a sight it was – a herd of buffaloes gently entering the river and swiftly swimming across to the riverine island.

Local fishermen embarking to bring in fresh fish (photo: Alex: Koecher) 

That was a moment which everyone enjoyed what with the buffaloes actually posing for the shutterbugs and the buffalo owners with bright coloured turbans doling out sound bytes for the camera team. “I had always been disheartened with the state of Yamuna. Never had I imagined, Yamuna bank in Delhi would be so much fun,” said Urmi Chakraborty, a core team member and a geography teacher passionate about rivers.

Buffalos longing for a bath (photo: Alex Koecher)

After more than two hours of fun, the Yamuna Katha team mates moved on to the next stop: the Ramghat, just north of Wazirabad village. The ghat (stepped embankment), is actually a cluster of temples, old and new. A large area is semi-circles with temples on the river side with space for parking vehicles on one side and a number of small kuchcha structures/tea kiosks for selling pooja material and other items lining the other side.

The water front resembled a ghat in any of the rural riverfronts. The ghats, replete with temples, shiv lingas (Lord Shiva’s manifest symbol) jutting right in the middle of the ghat, idle row boats resting by the bank and the omnipresent garbage in the form of flower waste from pooja remains, wooden planks and even refuse by way of some plaster of Paris statues. No, it again did not seem like Delhi. But Delhi it was.

Ramghat (photo: Alex Koecher)

After a round of hot tea from one of the kiosks, team members dispersed to explore the bank on their own. In small huddles, the passengers and the core group members exchanged ideas and keenly debated various issues. But the common thread that was emerging – and was very evident as the time passed by – was that each one of the team was equally concerned about the Yamuna.

Core group members Gayatrie and Rasheed discussing over tea
(photo: Alex Koecher)

A delicious lunch followed by rest as the sun peaked right above in the blue October sky, and the team was ready for the next adventure. Golden Jubilee Park by the riverfront right in front of the historical Red Fort and the Salimgarh Fort was the next destination.

The sprawling park does offer a good site along the Yamuna bank with the Loha Pul (the old iron bridge) in the background completing the picture frame. However, the place had a gory history … in the immediate past. Dwijender Kalia, the in house river expert from the core members’ team reminded: “In 2006, almost a lakh people were thrown out from the slums that occupied this very place then known as Jamuna Pushta. The displaced were thrown away from the main stream yet again as they were offered rehabilitation at Bawana and such far flung places.”

Discussion in the open at Golden Jubilee Park (photo: Alex Koecher)

With this note, started the discussion about ‘Moving a Juggernaut called Delhi’. Manu Bhatnagar, water conservationist and an active academic expert associated with conservation NGO Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) initiated and moderated the discussion. The group was joined by GIZ guests and a German elected representative Marie Luise von Halem, member of one of the state parliaments in Germany. The discussion ranged from water pollution, reasons for it, the reduced flow of water in the Yamuna, what does Yamuna offer to a city, what do people identify and understand with the city, the very definition of city, the approach of the planners and policy makers etc.

But one remark from Sadhuram, a rustic farmer tilling land near the Park, garnered the most appreciation. “They have shrunk the river. Upar wale ko nahi, apane aap ko bada maanate hai woh. (They think they are bigger than the Lord Almighty),” the simpleton said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Towards the end, the Yamuna Katha team was joined by an activist working for another river. Atul Jain, a passenger who had joined the team on day one, came calling in on day two too and brought along Anil Madhav Dave, a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and an activist who runs an NGO called Narmada Samagra, which works in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat along the Narmada river.  

Dave, also a member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, said a human being thinks about the river as if his or her efforts are going to “save” the river. “We think the river as water body and not a living eco-system. The moment we think it as a body, we think of reviving it, saving it et al. But tell me, what can a human with a life span of hardly 70-80 years do for a river which is flowing since ages? The idea is to ‘serve’ the river and not brag about saving it.”

The discussion ended on a note of optimism that each one in his or her capacity should continue its efforts for the river and work towards increasing the tribe.

The last item on the agenda, before returning to the hotel, was looked forward and enjoyed the most by every single member of the team. Kite flying opened up each other and brought in moments of sheer joy for all.