Yamuna flows once again in city of Taj

September 17th, 2009 AGRA - Just behind the Taj Mahal, thousands of dead fish have been floating down the Yamuna river here for the past three days. Residents have been gathering the dead fish and eating them, and there were reports Friday of some people falling ill because at least some of the fish may be carrying pollutants.

September 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The water level in the Yamuna river Monday started receding along its length in the national capital, though it continued to flow above the danger mark, an official said. By 9 a.m. today (Monday) the water level was 205.22 metres.

September 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The rain-swollen Yamuna river crossed the danger mark Sunday, increasing the risk of floods in the low-lying areas along its banks, an official said. The water has reached 205.17 metres, which is well above the danger mark of 204.83 metres, an official of the flood control department told IANS.

September 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The rain-swollen Yamuna river is flowing very near the danger mark and could flood low-lying areas along its banks here, an official said Saturday. The water level had reached 204.75 metres by 1 p.m.

September 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The rain-swollen Yamuna river is flowing very near the danger mark and could flood low-lying areas along its banks here Sunday, an official said Saturday. The water level had reached 204.80 metres Saturday evening - very near the danger mark of 204.83 metres.

September 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The rain-swollen Yamuna river is likely to cross the danger mark and flood low-lying areas along its bank in the national capital Saturday, an official said. The water level had reached 204.55 metres by 8 a.m.

September 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Yamuna river has risen due to the heavy rains over the past few days and is likely to cross the danger mark and flood low-lying areas along the bank in the national capital Saturday, an official said. "By 8 a.m. today (Saturday), the water level in Yamuna had reached 204.55 metres.

September 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A flood alert was sounded in the capital after two days of continuous rainfall led to rising water levels in the Yamuna and Haryana too released over four lakh cusecs of water into the river. The Haryana government has released nearly 420,000 cusecs of water from Hathnikund barrage and it takes 36-72 hours for that water to reach the national capital.

August 13th, 2009 AGRA - A new bridge being constructed in Vrindavan has come in for criticism from local environmental activists, who term it a threat to Kesri Ghat - the only remaining ghat in Vrindavan. They also contend it will obscure the magnificent panoramic view of the Yamuna river and affect its flow.

July 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh Friday admitted that the Ganga and Yamuna rivers were no cleaner now than they were 20 years ago, despite the government spending "hundreds of crores of rupees". The minister also said the pollution load on the major rivers in the country has increased over the years due to "urbanisation and industrialisation".

July 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The water quality of the Yamuna river has not shown "desired improvement", the government admitted Monday, despite spending Rs.872.15 crore since the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) was launched in 1993. Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh informed the Rajya Sabha: "The water quality of Yamuna has not shown the desired improvement owing to large gap between between the demand and availability of sewage treatment capacity and lack of fresh water in the river." Replying to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party member Ramdas Agarwal, Ramesh said: "Under the plan so far an expenditure of Rs.872.15 crore has been incurred and sewage treatment capacity of 753.25 million litres per day has been created." The minister added that for the river which runs through the national capital, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) "has prepared schemes for laying of interceptor sewers along three major drains namely Najafgarh, Shahdara and Supplementary, augmentation of sewage treatment capacity, interception of drains, rehabilitation of trunk sewers, laying of sewerage system in unsewered colonies and rural areas and desilting of peripheral/ internal sewers.

June 28th, 2009 AGRA - The monsoon is delayed, the Yamuna river is dry, power is playing truant and tourists are staying away. It is all adding up to make life in the city of the Taj exceedingly difficult and many are turning to age-old rituals to appease the rain gods.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly V.K. Malhotra Wednesday criticised Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for reportedly saying that cleaning of the Yamuna river would take several more years.

June 2nd, 2009 AGRA - Thousands of devotees turned up for a holy dip in the Yamuna in Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra Tuesday on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, which symbolises the peak of summer. Some devotees bathed, ignoring the all-too-visible pollutants in the water, but many were put off.

February 8th, 2009 AGRA - A two-member parliamentary delegation expressed dissatisfaction at the near chaotic traffic, bad drainage system and poor maintenance of monuments in this Uttar Pradesh city and said it may miss the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games 'tourism boom'. The committee of MPs Sitaram Yechury and P.