NallaMannu- Pollution of river Yamuna
This episode of NallaMannu is on river Yamuna that flows through the heart of Delhi, the capital of India. This is one of the most polluted rivers of the country. All the action plans to clean up Yamuna have failed so far. Huge money has been pumped into these projects that also went down the drain. The programme starts from in front of India Gate, the heart of Delhi and narrates what amount of city waste goes daily into the river. This documentary shows how the apathy and ignorance continues as people throw away plastic and non degradable objects into the river in the name of religion. It also depicts how the children from the Delhi slums dive into the black sluggish water whole day along to get hold of the coins thrown along with these religious offerings. What they get from an entire day’s exercise is found to be around rupees 50. Though boating is banned in the river owing to pollution, the boat men take people around for a pittance during festival season and the people in turn throw away idols, plastic garlands, clothes etc. into the water in the name of faith. As the documentary progresses, the camera travels into Delhi suburbs towards Agra, where the famous twin temple town, Brindavan-Mathura, the mythological birth place of Lord Krishna, is situated. Here also it is shown how thousands of mindless devotees dip in the polluted river water and bathe their children to achieve salvation. As Yamuna reaches Agra, Taj Mahal is the centre of attention. Many environmentalists have raised alarm that the pollution and drying up of Yamuna here is having a disastrous impact on the very foundation of this world marvel. The anchor questions the priorities set by the government to clean river Ganga which is not out of environmental reasons as it is out of religious and political ones. The interview of SunithaNarain, the director of the Delhi based NGO, Centre for Science and environment throws light upon the apathy of the government and the interview of a Hindu right wing activist who wants Yamuna to be cleaned up for religious reasons points to the political undercurrents involved. The programme concludes with the question whether we are ready to risk so many livelihood-related, environmental and cultural assets of India on the banks of river Yamuna and let the river die in this manner.