Revered as a goddess, Yamuna, the lifeline of Delhi that quenches 60 per cent of the Capital's thirst, is also receiving 60 per cent of untreated domestic sewage not to mention industrial effluents, fly ash and other chemicals that the river is supposed to cleanse.

As envrionmentalists dish out such frightful figures, equally alarmed authorities speak of feasibility studies to restore the river suggesting among other things allowing free flow of the river that has self-cleansing properties.

"From entering Delhi at Palla village near Wazirabad to leaving it at Gookhla, Yamuna is constantly fed by drains carrying domestic and industrial waste....Not only is its water unsafe for drinking but it also has no scope for sustaining any kind of aquatic wildlife. Concrete steps need to be taken fast lest we lose the river forever," says Sureshwar D Sinha of Pani Morcha, an NGO that has filed a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking restoration of adequate flow of water in Yamunaand Ganga.

Costly environmental degradation

About 5 lakh people in the country die of tuberculosis, while 8 lakh, mostly children, die of diarrhoea and 80 per cent of women suffer from anaemia every year due to environmental degradation, according to noted environmentalist Col (Retd) K I K Prasad.

He said recently that environmental conservation had never become so critical to the very existence of mankind. According to studies, one million people would be affected by cancer by the year 2001. At least 90 per cent of the diseases were mainly due to environment pollution. ``indiscriminate and excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides was responsible for this,'' he noted.

Use of organic manures should be encouraged in a big way to reverse this trend, said Col Prasad, who had motivated NCC cadets and other school children to take up environmental conservation activities and make Sagar, situated in the heartland of Madhya Pradesh, a model town.

He said that at least 750 million tonnesof garbage was produced every year and if this was converted into organic manure through vermiculture, it would be possible to meet most of the country's need for bio-fertilisers, which is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus antibiotics and hormones.

NGOs for participation in polls

A number of political leaders and intellectuals have urged the Election Commission to involve NGOs in the conduct of the general elections.At a seminar, organised by the Centre for Peace and Progress, speakers from various walks of life expressed the opinion that non-political NGOs should monitor the conduct of candidates, political parties and the electoral machinery to ensure free and fair parliamentary polls.

Speaking at the seminar, Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani said the law Commission, headed by Justice Jeevan Reddy, had submitted its report suggesting reforms in the election process.

Others who participated in the deliberations, chaired by Centre for Peace and Progress president O P Shah, included senior BJPleader K L Sharma, former minister of state for Home Subodh Kant Sahay, Jammat-E-Islami leader Ejaz Ahmed Aslam, senior advocates Ashok Bhan and Manjit Singh Khaira and senior journalist John Dayal.

The participants felt the civil society had a vital role in focussing the attention of political parties and the candidates on the issues concerning the masses.

Gandhi memorial in a state of decay

The Mahatma Gandhi National Memorial in Pune is in a dilapidated condition as the Maharashtra state government has not been able to provide funds for its upkeep.

The memorial is set up in a century-old palace which belonged to Prince Karim Aga Khan who had gifted it to the nation when Mahatma Gandhi's birth centenary was celebrated three decades ago. Gandhi and his wife Kasturba, were detained from August 1942 to May 1944, in the palace during the freedom struggle. The place is also revered because the samadhis or memorials of Kasturba Gandhi and Gandhi's personal secretary Mahadeo Desai are in thecomplex.

The Gardens and Parks Department refuses to dedicate more men and time to the memorial for want of funds.‹