As the Yamuna Crisis worsens in National Capital, Oneindia’s Pankaj Mishra Talks To Youth cleaning the river front amid the exacerbating crisis. Pollution in the river, common during festivals, contains high levels of ammonia and phosphates, posing risks like respiratory and skin issues. Young Volunteers are working tirelessly to improve the water quality. But, will it make any difference.
#Yamuna #YamunaRiver #ToxicFoam #Pollution #ArvindKejriwal #DelhiCrisis #Worldnews #Oneindia #Oneindia
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#Yamuna #YamunaRiver #ToxicFoam #Pollution #ArvindKejriwal #DelhiCrisis #Worldnews #Oneindia #Oneindia
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NewsTranscript
00:00My name is Sachin Gupta and I am the founder of the YSS Foundation.
00:14We started the YSS Foundation three years ago for rural development.
00:21Now we have more than 5,000 members in the YSS Foundation.
00:26They work as a bridge between us and the people around us.
00:32They help us solve our problems.
00:39We have more than 90% of our issues resolved.
00:43We have been working for the last three years and have done more than 200 eco-drives.
00:49Eco-drives are a part of our privacy.
00:52Our children always come to the YSS Foundation.
00:55If you look at the last few years, we had more than 100 children in the YSS Foundation.
01:00We were open from 7 am to 9 am.
01:02If you come to the YSS Foundation, you will find the YSS Foundation on every Sunday.
01:08The problem is that the youth are not aware.
01:12The youth are still sleeping.
01:14The future generations will change after 10-20 years.
01:20Delhi's water level is 70% higher than that of Jammu and Karnataka.
01:2570% of the population is unhealthy.
01:31You will feel good about your physical body.
01:34But when you go to the lab, you will find some diseases.
01:38What is the reason for this?
01:41We can blame anyone for this.
01:44The government is responsible, the people are responsible.
01:46There is industrial waste, chemical waste, medical waste.
01:49But what is the responsibility of the common man?
01:51Doesn't the common man have a share in this?
01:53I am sure the common man has a share in this.
01:55It starts from our homes.
01:57You use samples in your homes.
01:59You wash your clothes.
02:00You use phosphate.
02:01There are a lot of things like phosphate.
02:03That is also a part of this.
02:04You go to the bathroom.
02:05That is also a part of this.
02:06It is a small thing.
02:07You start from home with bio-enzymes.
02:09You start from home with bio-enzymes.
02:11There are small and big industries.
02:13Central Pollution Control Board.
02:15Pollution Control Board.
02:16Every state has its own Pollution Control Board.
02:18Till the time the government is awake,
02:20till the time the 6th Mahaparabha comes,
02:22the media, government, and all this is awake.
02:24As soon as the 6th Mahaparabha ends,
02:26you, the media, the government,
02:28will all disappear like smoke.
02:29After that, this Yamuna,
02:30just like this is happening year after year,
02:33it will continue to increase.
02:35You will not believe what you are seeing.
02:37The white sheet you are seeing,
02:39there is another layer on top of this white sheet.
02:41The chemical is such a strong chemical
02:43that we grasp it in the form of a micro.
02:45You will not believe.
02:46If you stand here for an hour,
02:48even half an hour,
02:49your eyes will burn.
02:50If there is water on the skin,
02:51there will be rashes on the skin.
02:53Along with this,
02:54and you have been here for an hour,
02:56you cannot sleep at night without a nebulizer.
02:58Your breathing problem will increase so much.
03:00You may have to be admitted to the hospital.
03:02You can see that I too,
03:03I have been working here for the last two hours.
03:05I have also started having breathing problems.
03:07We take breaks in between
03:09so that we do not have to stay at home all the time
03:12because the breathing problem is increasing.
03:14It is very easy to blame the government.
03:18We can blame the government.
03:21But where do we fulfill our responsibilities?
03:23You tell me,
03:24if we believe that the population of Delhi is 5 crores,
03:27every person,
03:28just talks about changing the country,
03:30talks about changing the state,
03:31why doesn't he talk about changing his house?
03:33Why doesn't he talk about changing his neighborhood?
03:35You will not be able to change the country.
03:37No matter how much you do,
03:38you will never be able to change the country.
03:39As long as you do not start your house,
03:40you will not start your neighborhood,
03:42you have to change the country.
03:43I want my young friends,
03:44you do not need to change the country.
03:46You just focus on your neighborhood.
03:48The country will change on its own.
04:03What I have done so far,
04:05I arrived here early morning,
04:07around 7.
04:08First of all,
04:09we got our safety gear on,
04:11we started cleaning,
04:12we got to work,
04:13and then more people joined.
04:14Because me and her,
04:15we have been managing everything.
04:18We have to also account for the people that are coming in,
04:20mark them.
04:21This is kind of like an initiative from our university as well.
04:25The university has basically put this course
04:27where we have to volunteer in an organization
04:30for a fixed amount of hours.
04:31I think that is a really good step
04:32because they are pushing all of the students
04:34from all departments
04:35to go do some community outreach.
04:37It's HVTO,
04:38Human Values and Community Outreach.
04:39So we are working on that.
04:40Everybody has a fixed amount of hours.
04:42However, we are not here for hours,
04:43we are here for change.
04:44So,
04:45like for example,
04:46the cleaning,
04:47even when people were sitting there taking a break,
04:49me and her,
04:50we were running there,
04:51we were cleaning as much as possible.
04:52The thing is that,
04:53it is not possible for us,
04:54even 100 of us,
04:55to clean all of Yamuna.
04:56It is not possible for us.
04:57What this can achieve however,
05:00is to instill some energy in the youth.
05:02Some energy.
05:03Like, okay fine,
05:04if somebody sees me,
05:05they can relate to me somehow.
05:07They look at me,
05:08I am from the youth.
05:09So,
05:10they look at me,
05:11that's a young guy,
05:12on the Yamuna,
05:13working to clean the Yamuna.
05:14That might move a specific demographic of people.
05:16Because to move older people,
05:18it doesn't have that much impact
05:20because older people
05:21cannot make that much of a physical impact on cleaning.
05:23They can however,
05:24on policies and obviously voting and everything,
05:26we all know that.
05:27However,
05:28the population dividend of the country being,
05:30India is one of the youngest countries,
05:31in terms of population.
05:33Like,
05:34almost 80% of the population is in the 18-24,
05:3625,
05:37the working range.
05:38So,
05:39that is,
05:40I think,
05:41a very valuable resource to the country.
05:42Like,
05:43there are countries like Japan and Korea,
05:45where people are very old.
05:47And there is the working dividend,
05:48the population dividend is very small.
05:50I think that it is a blessing,
05:51to India,
05:52that our youth is so big,
05:53and it is so large in numbers.
05:55And I think that should be utilized.
05:56Like for example,
05:57the youth today,
05:58they are cleaning,
05:59they are handling stuff,
06:00they are cleaning,
06:01they are helping each other,
06:02they are making a difference,
06:04they are inspiring others to work.
06:07We have also had people from outside the organization,
06:09come and help.
06:10We have had a local come here and help,
06:11talk to us,
06:12talk to reporters before.
06:14And it is really nice to see,
06:15people being inspired,
06:16finally inspired by,
06:17like,
06:18it is not possible for one person,
06:19to make a change,
06:20but they can start one.