Let’s be absolutely clear, no one actually killed the Yamuna. There’s no single villain to blame. It’s not like it was a carefully orchestrated murder mystery. It simply runs crystal clear…right into a polluted mess. So, it’s nobody’s fault, really. Definitely not a political issue – heaven forbid! It’s just a river doing its thing, while we, with the purest of intentions, of course, stand by and watch it gasp for breath. It’s about the undeniable reality of our rivers struggling, a tragedy unfolding in plain sight, conveniently masked by our collective, well-meaning indifference.
Isn’t it astonishing that while politicians are busy with their election campaigns, Delhi is quite literally gasping for breath? The Yamuna River is ranked among the world’s most polluted waterways. Climate change only adds insult to injury, exacerbating these challenges. The state of our capital city reads like an environmental horror story – but where are the urgent debates about the Yamuna becoming essentially an open sewer, or about why our children have to wear masks just to play outside? Why aren’t we seeing concrete action plans instead of the usual election rhetoric? One party is proposing a monthly aid of Rs 2,500 for women while other is pledging Rs 2,100 per month to women, continuing their strategy of offering direct benefits to secure electoral support. As voters, shouldn’t we be demanding to know how candidates plan to clean up our river, what their timeline is for improving air quality, and how they’ll protect our remaining green spaces? The real question is – with elections around the corner, isn’t it time we made these environmental issues a deciding factor in who gets our vote? After all, this isn’t just about statistics and reports – it’s about our daily lives, our health, and our children’s future in this city.
