Yamuna Panchayats constitutes our bottom-up initiative to create awareness and forge collaborations at the ground level around the river. We have been working towards holding a series of village panchayats along the entire stretch of River Yamuna from Hathnikund, where the river enters the plains, to Sangam at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), where it finally merges with River Ganga.
Yamuna Panchayat at Pallagaon
As a part of its larger campaign to revive and restore River Yamuna and connect and engage with villages/villagers living along the stretch of the river, MAS Council for Water and River (MCWR) has started organizing ‘YAMUNA PANCHAYATS’ –a series of village panchayats to be held along the entire stretch of Yamuna from Hathinikund, where the river enters the plains, to Sangam at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), where it finally merges with River Ganga. It represents MCWR’s bottom-up initiative to create awareness and forge collaborations at the ground level.
On October 28, 2022, MCWR held a Yamuna Panchayat at Pallagaon, the place where Yamuna enters Delhi. The panchayat was led by the village pradhan. It was widely attended by local villagers including village elders, local environmentalists, and activists, working professionals from Pallagaon and the youth. The panchayat revolved around discussions on the village’s association with River Yamuna and ways to improve the ecosystem around
it. Broadly speaking, there were four overlapping points came up in the panchayat:
1. Remembering Yamuna: Many village elders talked about how the river once flowed through the village; how the river connected with the lives of the villagers; and how fairs and festivals were organized around the river. Many elders also shared stories and experiences around the river.
2. Local waste and drainage: The participants also spoke about how the local waste and village drainage issues had started impacting the ground water. Also, how litter from the village and sewage was making its way to the river.
3. Voluntary action: The participants also underlined the need to form local committees to organize occasional cleaning of the banks and suggest ways to deal with the polythene menace and other wastes in the village.
4. Specific suggestions: Some villagers also talked about specific river-centered interventions to deal with the problems of sewage and increasing the water flow.
Finally, the participants agreed to prepare a joint petition for MCWR’s ‘Yamuna Yachika’ campaign, which involves collection of petitions from a relay of Yamuna Panchayats, for onward dialogues, deliberations, and interventions.