During Covid 19 first lockdown in India, during Mar-June 2020, many of the vehicle came to standstill. Consumption of petrol/diesel (fossil fuel) came down to negligible. Globally the crude oil price crashed and for the first time crude oil was selling in negative. Though for many it was tough time to manage the daily meals, but somehow managed to overcome the pandemic. These were also months of almost no petrol/diesel consumption. Now, imagine a situation where you have to live without water for days, if not weeks. Can we manage without water? NO.
Water is one of the critical necessity for life. We have plenty of it. But urban living asks for water management in the scale never before imagined.
Million Smiles is an endeavour for water management, starting with Yamuna river. It is an initiative to bring the collective wisdom from domain experts and industry professionals from various associated fields about revival of Yamuna river for larger objective of managing water resources in north of India.
Over the last two decades many civil societies, media platfroms and individuals have made untiring efforts to revive Yamuna. We wish to join them, be part of them and thereafetr add on to what is being done.
We intent to explore/invite ideas from all, and deliberate on impact which such ideas, if undertaken would have.
Experts from Water Resources, Hydrology, Geology, Mining, Environment, Social Science, Construction, Surface and River Transport, Information Technology and others would be consulted through this initiative.
Image Courtesy: https://www.pexels.com/@channnsy-141446585
We are in processing of reaching out to domain experts and those interested in contributing to this thought process. Though we will be trying our level best to ensure that the experts from their segment are consulted, we may have missed out or have not reached out to you. But for the benefit of larger community, we request you to share your views/opinion or join the discussion.
Please send an email with your name, contact number and brief intro of yourself at- info@millionsmiles.net
Our present set of activities for Jan-Dec 2022, will be-
Discuss and develop an understanding of the work which is being done by trusts, NGOs, government agencies and others for the revival of RIver Yamuna. Please see the section WIP.
Reaching out to the domain experts from Water Resources, Hydrology, Geology, Mining, Environment, Social Science, Construction, Surface and River Transport, Information Technology and others on their view about de-silting Yamuna.
Subsequent to point 2 mentioned above, we will be sharing the compiled views with all.
Based on the compiled views shared we shall conduct workshops, either virtual workshops or if the situation permits hybrid workshops. Based on the outcome of the workshops we will decide our future course of action.
Reaching out to experts from various associated field related to river Yamuna, seeking their critical view and compiling them. We will compile opinion of experts and those interested in contributing to the idea of Yamuna revival. We will be delighted to have your willingness to contribute. Please send an email with your name, contact number and brief intro of yourself at-
info@millionsmiles.net
The opinion and views of individual experts would be compiled for sharing amongst larger group of those interested in desilting Yamuna. We also look forward to having brainstorming workshop where experts and those interested discuss each others view point. This would help evolve a collective view for given domain or area of expertise.
Its a Yagya for benefit of all. We need your support all along the way. It will be helpful to the cause to have your financial support for this initiative. Do let us know your willingness to support this initiative, send us an email at
info@millionsmiles.net
Interesting reading on Yamuna river
Yamuna, considered the dark sister of Yama, the Hindu god of Death, has seen several cultures and civilizations coming into existence and fading over time. She has been the muse of many poets and writers who have extolled her virtues and at the same time warned us about her virulent attributes. As myth would have it, the Varaha Purana contextualises Yamuna as no different to the Ganges. It has been said that Yamuna is nothing but the water of the Ganges sanctified a hundred times over.
Yamuna flows over a distance of 1,376 kilometres: it starts from lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand and finally meets Ganga at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad. It enters Delhi through village Palla, and traverses a distance of 48 kilometres through the capital city. The polluted stretch of 22 kilometres lies between Wazirabad and Okhla. Yamuna has been polluted severely over the past two decades as a result of urbanisation. At the same time, the remaining 26 kilometres of the river is still clean and is home to a lot of trees, flowers, birds as well as ways of life that are gradually being forgotten.
Excerpt Source: Sunday Guardian Live, April 2016