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Following the group’s initiative, on the Supreme Court’s direction, a meeting of officials from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana was also held under the chairmanship of the Union Home Secretary, in which the states presented their respective action plans to protect the rivers from pollution.

Hindon has become a drain, not a river, in the eyes of children.

Residents of Sector 137 say they bought their homes there because they would enjoy the natural environment of the Yamuna River on one side and the Hindon River on the other. However, over time, pollution in both rivers has increased. According to locals, the situation has reached such a level that when children are told that the Hindon is a river, they mistake it for a drain. Members of Volunteers 137 say this is not just an environmental crisis, but a question of the future of future generations.

The fight to save the river reached the Supreme Court

According to Abhisht Gupta, a member of Volunteers 137, the Union Home Secretary convened a meeting on the issue of Yamuna pollution, following the Supreme Court’s direction. This meeting was held in connection with the Delhi Jal Board vs. Abhisht Kusum Gupta & Ors case.

Representatives from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana participated in the meeting. The states presented their action plans to combat river pollution. Locals are now hopeful that implementation of these action plans will begin soon.

Question to the lives of more than 50 thousand people

Sector 137 is home to several large housing societies, and it is claimed that over 50,000 people live here. Residents of this area, nestled between the Yamuna and Hindon River, say that the river’s continued pollution is directly affecting their lives and the surrounding environment. They question: if the river water is polluted and vegetables are being grown on the riverbanks using this water, what impact is this having on the health of the people who consume these vegetables?

Illegal construction and sewage were said to be major problems.

Members of Volunteers 137 allege that increasing illegal construction along the river is also contributing to the pollution problem. They say that first, construction occurs along the riverbanks, and then the population settles there. This then increases the pressure of sewage and waste, further polluting the river. The group demands that action be taken against illegal construction along the riverbanks at the earliest, so that subsequent population build-up does not put additional pressure on the river.

Demand to revive Hindon

Volunteers 137, calling the Hindon a “dead river,” is demanding planned action to revive it. The group has also proposed developing a riverfront along the Hindon to the government through the Noida Authority. The group believes that a riverfront will not only help protect the river banks but will also increase people’s connection to the river and raise awareness about its conservation.

“If the river ends, it’s not just the water that’s gone.”

Locals say that civilizations have always developed around rivers. Therefore, the disappearance of rivers is not just about the loss of a source of water. It will also impact the environment, biodiversity, and human life.

Volunteers 137 claim that local awareness and collaboration with the administration has improved the amount of waste directly discharged into the Hindon River in the Noida area. However, pollution remains a problem in some parts of Ghaziabad.

Now, this battle is focused on the action plans submitted by the states following the Supreme Court’s directive. The question is: when will the plans, made on paper, be implemented, and when will the efforts to transform the Yamuna-Hind River from a drain into a river bear fruit?