Our environment is a natural gift that has been abused to no end by mankind Air, water and soil pollution has been a rising concern from a very long time. The population of Delhi has seen exponential growth over the last few decades. Apart from the natural population growth Delhi sees thousands of immigrants come to the Capital in search of better prospects of life and livelihood. However, very few of these people realise their dreams of a better life and most join the ranks of unskilled labourers, crowding the slums mushrooming in and around Delhi. The exponential growth of population, registering Delhi as the eighth most populated metropolitan city in the world, has resulted in more number of vehicles, increased air pollution, water pollution, irresponsible waste disposal, soil erosion, decrease of greenery and an increased pressure on the limited available resources.

In the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2011 Delhi had been ranked at 26. The planning Commission of India named Delhi, as one of the worst performers in the environmental performance index in 2013. EPI is developed as a measure of environmental well-being of states. The ranking reflects states performance on a scale of 16 green indicators under five categories air quality, water quality, state of forests, waste management and steps taken for climate change adaptation Andhra Pradesh was ranked as the best performer and Delhi as the worst

The natural resources in and around Delhi have suffered severely. The river Yamuna, which has been the lifeblood of Delhi since ancient times and the prime reason for its existence, is highly polluted. Even until a few years ago, the sewage lines from half of Delhi’s household emptied raw sewage into the river and apart from that the Yamuna also carries the sewage of the thousands of unplanned habitation located on its banks. It has been estimated that 80% of Yamuna’s pollution results from the dumping of sewage. And other than sewage, Yamuna is also polluted by dumping of garbage and industrial runoffs. It does not help that Yamuna has a ‘sacred river status. Thousands of inhabitants drop flowers, coins and other offerings into the Yamuna polluting it further. The level of pollution in Yamuna is so high that the water has turned frothy in several stretches. The condition of Yamuna improved a little after the Supreme Court took the matter into his own hands and ensured that sewer interceptor were built that would channel the waste flowing from unconnected parts of the city to the sewage treatment plants. However, in spite of millions of dollars spent on treating the water pollution of Yamuna, the condition of the river is only going from bad to worse.

Water pollution in Delhi is not just limited to the Yamuna but also extends to the ground water. The forest cover in and around Delhi has also thinned considerably and no new trees have been planted to maintain the delicate ecological balance. The high levels of pollution in the atmosphere, water and soil of Delhi has resulted in large-scale destruction of the natural flora and fauna. The biggest challenge in regard of fauna has been the complete destruction of fresh water fish reserves that used to abound Yamuna. The increasing pollution levels has not just decreased but in certain places wiped out the fishes and other aquatic life forms from Yamuna.

Delhi has seen a mushrooming of several NGO’s and individuals working towards generating more awareness about the environmental crisis. The ‘Yamuna Bachao Aandolan’, the “Chipko movement’, the afforestation initiatives are just some of the examples. The rising concern over environmental problems has led to some inspiring action over the past few – years. As our developing nations progress in its quest for development, technological advancement, industrialisation and urbanisation, the demand on our ecosystem are just going to multiply. Every day we are evolving some new technologies that further jeopardise the conservation of our environment. Progress is essential for mankind but in the mad rush of progress it must not be forgotten that without the shield of our ecosystem there might be little to sustain us further in our aspirations of growth. The government and government authorities are definitely responsible for protecting our environment but that is not all. Until and unless every citizen realises their duty towards protecting the environment, it is impossible to sustain the fine balance of nature.

Aishwarya Says:

I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.

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We are also running a series Inspirational Women from January 2021 to March 31,2021, featuring around 1000 stories about Indian Women, who changed the world. #choosetochallenge