The group was excited. A visit to the River Yamuna! And not just any part of the Yamuna, but the point from where the river water is routinely replaced by domestic sewage from Delhi. We would be seeing it all from very close proximity as we would be on a boat. And this led to great anticipation for a disgusting and intense experience.
The group was a diverse one attending a workshop called ”Where Journalism meets Environment” at Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. The majority were journalists from five South Asian countries, but there were a few of us from other backgrounds, like me from health. We were busy working against a deadline to finish our assignment, but we surely didn’t want to miss the opportunity to visit the polluted “river”.
So we got onto the bus the next day, and after the 90 minute ride on the roads of Delhi, we reached the barrage. On one side we saw fresh clear water and on the other side we saw sewage. Basically, the freshwater was being emptied at this point for use in the city, and the empty river basin was being filled by sewage from the city. A “convenient” arrangement apparently.
Anyway, we then hopped onto a couple of boats which would take us for a half hour ride. And there we were, on untreated sewage from the city. Not as much of an impact as I had expected. The rest of the group too was just sitting around on the boats, and identifying the bird species that were flying around.
This is not the first time I’ve been underwhelmed by visits to “polluted areas” or “toxic hotspots”. I’ve visited sites of industrial pollution, chemical pollution and land fills, and each of these visits were underwhelming compared to what I had expected. And I’ve always thought why. Maybe this is the reason we’re able to get accustomed to pollution easily and don’t take drastic steps to curb it. Do we, as a society, need to feel overwhelmed by something to make that change?
An attack of common cold or fever is so easily recognised by people, but increasing blood sugars or pressures get recognised either at a late stage or when it leads to a sudden loss of consciousness. Is it the same with pollution? Would it always take an acute event to draw attention to this chronic problem?
Reporters have been blamed for only reporting events and not processes. But these visits have shown me why reporters are always writing about events. Sudden occurrences are exciting. The sewage flows today, would flow tomorrow, and even in another year. What is “new” about that?
The only thing that was really exciting about this whole experience was watching all those birds. It was actually quite intense. There were hundreds, if not thousands of birds circling over our boats. It was quite a sight. And I’ve noticed birds wherever there is a lot of organic waste. I had seen a similar sight when I had visited municipal waste landfills. Seeing all those birds together, flying around us in random directions, finally gave us a sense that there was something really wrong with this part of the river.
