Yamuna activists 'ready to die' to salvage river

A group of river activists in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday presented a memorandum addressed to the President of India, expressing anguish over the 'death' of the Yamuna river and seeking permission to 'end their lives' if the river is not taken care of.

Activists of the River Connect Campaign while presenting the memorandum to the Agra Divisional Commissioner said: "No amount of activism, mobilisation, raising the voice through democratic channels yielded desired results. We continue to remain helpless victims and spectators even as 'our mother' (Yamuna) is dying before our eyes."

Activist Pandit Omkar Bhardwaj said he had lost the will to live as he could no longer bear the pain and suffering of his "mother Yamuna".

Though, he said, many promises were made for salvaging Yamuna, the river continues to remain a sewage canal, threatening the lives of millions of people.

"Yamuna is choked with pollutants and toxic effluents killing all aqua life, even bacterias. For most part of the year the river runs dry. Its pollutants are damaging the surface of the Taj Mahal," said another activist Ajay Tomar.

"If Yamuna doesn't live, how can we live or even Taj Mahal be saved."

Asked how long they would wait for an official permission to "end their lives", the activist said: "It was a serious matter and we would, in all earnestness, pursue our cause and demand."

We have waited too long and if no results come, it would be pointless for us to live, they warned.

--IANS

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