Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival, organised on the floodplains of Yamuna river, highlights a threat we have been ignoring for the longest - the death of Yamuna.
It would be unfair to only blame Art of Living for contributing to its death.
From Okhla barrage to ITO, Yamuna is flooded with toxic waste released from incineration and coal plants, which means the river hasn't just become a canal of waste, but is also rapidly drying up.
Recently, Bellandur Lake in Bangalore caught the attention of environmentalists because of the presence of a strange white froth on the surface (caused by the chemicals released from nearby plants.)
Now Yamuna is almost always covered in white froth, releasing a rancid smell.
I have been taking photographs of Yamuna since 2013, and sadly, the situation has grown from bad to worse. Around the river bank, new Metro lines and many residential buildings have come up. Yamuna stays the same - dirty and smelly.
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| A man perform the morning ritual (Surya Namaskar) amidst the white froth at Okhla Barrage, New Delhi. |
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| Rakesh, 52, a construction worker of DMRC, waits for his assistant to clean up the froth at Okhla Barrage. |
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| A photo-frame of Lord Ganesha is seen floating on the bank of Yamuna at Akshardham Mandir, New Delhi. |
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| A coal plant near Indraprastha Metro station works right next to the bank of Yamuna. |
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| Mohammad Shakil, son of Shahanwaz, owner of five elephants, takes Sheru, the elephant, for his regular evening dip near ITO bridge. |
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| A woman offers her prayer amidst white chemical froth at Okhla Barrage. Photo: Aaqib Raza Khan |
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| Fishermen of Okhla go fishing near Okhla barrage. Photo: Aaqib Raza Khan |
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| Yamuna is fast becoming a canal of waste. |
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| The river is rapidly drying up. |
