Eco Walks

Eco Walks

Historians such as Sohail Hasmi and environmentalists such as Vimlendu Jha will conduct walks around the Yamuna as well as Delhi’s water systems to sensitize the general public as well as school children to their natural heritage and the impact of urban development on it

Programme Details for the walk with Vimlendu Jha

The River Yamuna is a celebrated river which is not merely a source of water supply, but has tremendous significance for the socio-economic, religious and cultural fabric o f India.

Objectives:

• To raise awareness among citizens on ecological concerns around the River Yamuna,
• To also raise consciousness among citizens about larger ecological and environmental concerns,
• To explain and facilitate important discussions with the participants outside their work spaces,
• To encourage the participants to take up any level of engagement with the Yamuna,

Walk Methodology:

In the course of the Yamuna Walk we take citizens to the banks of the river before it flows into Delhi where it yet is plentiful and clean. We then take them to see the fate of the river after it enters Delhi to witness the alarming aggression with which our city pollutes the river. Our facilitators talk and discuss about various aspects of the politico-economic pressures that has led to little or no tangible action being taken by the establishment towards helping the river. The focus is also on informing them about the Yamuna Action Plan on which more than Rs.1000 crore have been spent on cleaning the river, to no avail.

Programme Details for the walk with Vimlendu Jha:

Duration: 180 minutes/3 hours (not inclusive of travel time)

Meeting place: ISBT

• 00:00 to 00:45 hrs – Visit to the upstream of Yamuna, before it enters Delhi; 5 kms north from Wazirabad Barrage. The river here is plentiful and relatively cleaner and serves as a source of livelihood to fishermen and farmers. The river here has an ecosystem in place.
• 00:45 to 01:00 hrs – following the river, spotting it from Wazirabad barrage; one side is clean and the other side is 'Delhi'!
• 01:00 to 01:20 hrs – Following Najafgarh Drain, the biggest and the 'blackest' drain of Delhi, first of the 19 drains that flow into the river after the Wazirabad barrage. It goes and meets the river just 50 meters from the Wazirabad Barrage where Yamuna enters Delhi.
• 01:20 to 01: 40 hrs – Traveling with the river, reaching Kudsia Ghat opposite ISBT.
• 1:40 to 2:20 hrs – Understanding the river and life around Kusdsia Ghat, one of the oldest Ghats of Delhi, which now remains ignored and dejected. Here, the participants get a chance to do a boat ride on the river
• 02:20 hrs to 03:00 hrs – The group converges at Loha Pul and the walk concludes with a final feedback session.

Programme Details for the walk with Sohail Hashmi:

Eco-walk by Sohail Hashmi : Visit to Mehrauli Area, 13 Nov, 2:30pm - 5pm

Meeting Point: Chattarpur Metro station at 2:15

Walk into Mehrauli from the lane that turns in along the boundary wall of the Jamali Kamali Archaeological park and Reach Hauz-e-Shamsi by about 3.00 Pm talk about the history and legends associated with the Hauz and the social, cultural and spiritual significance of the Hauz, walk to Jahaz Mahal, built on the banks of the pond during the late sultanate period, double back to the Jharna and talk about the significance of the Jharna from the time of Altamash (Iltutmish) to Akbar the IInd and Bahadur Shah Zafar and the diversion of the monsoonal overflow to the Naulakha Nala and to discuss the gradual destruction of the Naulakha Nala. End of walk by about 5 Pm or there abouts.

Eco-walk by Sohail Hashmi, from Barapulla to Belagaon : 16 Nov, 8:00am – 10:30

Meeting Point: Bus from India Habitat Center gate number 2 At 7:30 am

Barapulla built at the time of Jahangir over the confluence of South Delhi streams before they joined the Jamuna. talk about options to stop sewage flowing into the Jamuna up stream of Barapulla, Drive to Bela Road behind I.P. College;

The stretch of the river at this point is one of the few places where the river is accessible from the road, talk about the life around the river, the city- river dialogue and its gradual decline and demise. The gradual cutting off of the life line of the river and the conversion of the river into a barrier.

Drive to the Wazirabad Barrage, view the draining of open sewers into the river and the killing of the river, drive to the site of the Jamuna River art installations between Salimgarh and the New Ring road by pass.

End of walk/drive by about 10.30 or 10.45