As I started my hesitant shopping and found myself carrying loosely, all the little items I had bought, I started feeling that my skepticism about Delhi’s ban on plastic bags had been unfounded. I was happy to put up with the inconveniences of bagless shopping: after all, what is the loss of a little item that unwittingly falls from an arm load or of a dress spoilt by leaking “shahi paneer” gravy compared to the loss of beautiful, clean world!
Picture: Sign at a Delhi Metro Station
The seepage of doubt is such a difficult thing to stop. As I grew more fearless in my shopping and my bills became more respectable, plastic bags mysteriously began to reappear. And my regret grew-why had I not bought the other things earlier for fear of having to lug them unpackaged. Doubt turned to disbelief when the dust laden winds wrapped a dirty, worn out plastic bag around my ankle in one of delhi’s wild wind storm, the ‘andhi’of Delhi that I otherwise miss so much. The gulf of my disappointment only widened, when crossing the Yamuna I saw its coast littered by endless stream of plastic bags- as I had seen in a picture six months back. The sides of Yamuna are lined by plastic bags the same way as the coast of Dubai appears outlined by little lights when seen from the aeroplane.
By Dr Vandana Prakash •
November 19, 2008
(Picture: Encroachments on Yamuna Flood Plains.)
A couple of years back, when I was in Delhi, the city seemed abuzz with the activity for developing nearly a new township–a tall apartment building, a walking path along the water, and state of the art stadiums–on the bank of Yamuna. With the deadline of 2010 Commonwealth Games that the city had set for itself, such complete transformation would need much activity. Actually, I should say hyper-activity. The end-result seemed very attractive: I started dreaming of the Italian and French Rivieras.
At the heart of this vision (that I was dreaming up for Yamuna’s development) was a deep, rich and salubrious river–a river healthy enough to support varied marine life. Marine flora and fauna would not only help keep the waters clean but would also make the river (and rides on it) more attractive. The vision called for navigation on the river–like boat tours on the Seine or the Amstel rivers among other–to make the area more touristy and attractive. At a distance from denser areas, abandoned stretches of Yamuna could be developed as a marina or even a boat house park, to offer a very different lifestyle to Delhiites. It called for promenades along the length of the river: promenades sheltered by pretty trees; promenades traced alongside by seasonal flowerbeds; promenades that enabled a healthier lifestyle. The promenades would bifurcate to lead people into shopping and eating areas: after all, these are integral parts of any fun activity for Indians (as borne out by the burgeoning chowpatti culture of India). And while at it, I thought why not make the most of such intense development work and expenditure by providing ultra-luxe apartments with beautiful water-views that might help the public budget recoup some of the money.
By Dr Vandana Prakash •
October 18, 2008
Much serious thought needs to be devoted to and find a holistic solution to Yamuna’s pollution problem. Greater ingenuity is required to tackle the contradiction with fundamental beliefs of the people.
By Govind Singh •
July 6, 2008
The Indian capital city of New Delhi will be hosting the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010. This will be the first time India will host the Commonwealth Games and the second time that the Games will be hosted in Asia. Preparations have been on for quite some time now, to not just renovate and construct sporting facilities all over the city but to also beautify the city and gear it to ensure that visitors during the Games have a comfortable stay. Cashing upon the tourism potential is another motive of all the gearing up. The preparation of the Games has not been untouched by the green wave and Delhi’s Department of Environment, Forest and Wildlife has already asked all concerned authorities to, “ensure that Delhi’s latest showpieces are environmentally sound and reflect the city’s commitment to preserving nature”. However, the ground realities are far from that and the ecological impact of the Games may be much more than the economic gains.
As I started my hesitant shopping and found myself carrying loosely, all the little items I had bought, I started feeling that my skepticism about Delhi’s ban on plastic bags had been unfounded. I was happy to put up with the inconveniences of bagless shopping: after all, what is the loss of a little item that unwittingly falls from an arm load or of a dress spoilt by leaking “shahi paneer” gravy compared to the loss of beautiful, clean world!
