Delhi: Why fishermen, farmers are likely to vote for a cleaner Yamuna

Delhi: Pulling his fishing rod towards his end once again, 45-year-old Mohammed Faruq readies himself. Having been seated at the site since 11 in the morning, the activity had now reached its pinnacle of boredom. After over four continuous hours, the wait for a fish to nibble on the wheat cake bait only seemed to become a distant dream.

For Faruq, the Yamuna River is more than just a body of water; it is a lifeline. Ending up empty-handed is not an option if he wants to go to sleep with a full stomach. Faruq, who usually works as a labourer at construction sites across the national capital, finds himself struggling to survive as pollution continues to rise. With construction work grinding to a halt due to the severe air quality, he has turned to fishing as an alternative source of sustenance.

A decline in livelihood

Earlier in 2023, as the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was imposed, Faruq found himself without work, forcing him to search for other ways to make ends meet. “Every time the pollution increases, and the air quality dips, I already know that I will be without work for a long stretch. Last year it happened; I took up work at Chandni Chowk, while also devoting time to fish at Sonia Vihar. I do not sell the fish that I catch. The point has always been to secure the fish and use it just to eat,” he said.

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However, the start of the year has brought another challenge: a significant decline in the number of fish in the Yamuna. “A usual day would normally end with me securing a basket filled with fish. However, this time around, the scenario is extremely different. I have been sitting for over four hours, and I found nothing in the water. It’s not just today but every day that I sit here, the result is the same,” Faruq lamented. Without a catch, Faruq and others like him are finding it difficult to sustain themselves.

Pollution’s impact on Yamuna’s aquatic life

The Yamuna River has become a symbol of neglect and mismanagement. Effluents from across the national capital have only one exit point: the river. Untreated sewage and industrial effluents flow into the river, contributing to the near-total destruction of its aquatic ecosystem.

“We have been waiting for almost a decade for someone to bring a change to the quality of the river’s water. Nobody has even attempted to clean it properly. There were people trying to clear up the foam, but that is a temporary solution. As it is, most of the fish are in all probability dead,” said Mahesh Kumar, another fisherman who, like Faruq, depends on the river for his survival.

Broken promises

In November 2015, during his first term in office, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal promised to clean up the Yamuna River. “We will revive Yamuna within five years,” he had said from the ghats of the first Yamuna Aarti. But in 2024, the situation has only worsened, becoming a significant issue for the electorate once again.

The deteriorating state of the Yamuna is pushing residents to rethink their political choices. “It is essential for me and my family that we earn a certain amount of money each month. Earlier, I was able to earn Rs 1,500, on average, daily. However, with the deteriorating conditions of the river, the amount that I used to earn has also reduced. The fact remains that if anybody cleans up the Yamuna, then my vote will go to them,” said Asif, another fisherman.

A farmer’s plight

The impact of pollution is not limited to fishermen. Deep Kumar, a farmer residing on the banks of the river, has also faced the consequences. “The shapes have changed, sometimes there is no yield. It has only become worse. Every time during elections, these politicians come to promise us a boatload, and after that, no change takes place,” he said. The contaminated water has led to extensive damage to his crops, affecting his livelihood.

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Failed clean-up efforts

In 2021, Kejriwal had said that it was his responsibility to clean up the Yamuna, stating that he would take a dip in it during the ‘next elections’. “I asked for five years from the people of Delhi during elections and promised them that I would take a dip in the Yamuna in the next elections.” During the course of which, he introduced a six-point plan to clean up the Yamuna — improving the city’s sewage treatment capacity and network, cleaning major drains, de-silting storm water drains and taking action against industries releasing untreated waste, among other measures.

The Environment Department reported that from 2017 to 2021, over Rs 6,856 crore was spent on cleaning up and revitalising the Yamuna River, but the results are far from satisfactory. A report from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) revealed that most of the stretch, apart from Palla (where the Yamuna enters Delhi), is unfit even for bathing. The river has been contaminated by faecal coliform, surpassing the permissible limit four times over.

While the permissible limit for faecal coliform is 230 MPN per 100 ml, some Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) have crossed the threshold manifold. The worst offenders are Nilothi (2,400 MPN), Najafgarh (2,100 MPN), Rohini (2,200 MPN), Vasant Kunj (3,300 MPN), and Okhla (5,600 MPN).

In 2021, Kejriwal introduced a six-point plan to clean up the Yamuna — improving the city’s sewage treatment capacity and network, cleaning major drains, de-silting stormwater drains, and taking action against industries releasing untreated waste, among other measures. However, according to residents, none of these measures have been implemented efficiently to date.

Photo: Umar Dar