Naviks of Mathura

From dawn to dusk, the Naviks of Mathura line up by the ghats of river Yamuna offering boat rides to tourists. The river waters at the Mathura stretch are adorned, especially during evenings, with motor-less boats navigating unhurriedly from one end to another. The sheer slowness in the environment summons exuberance. Facilitating such peaceful moments for tourists and visitors is not the only job the boatmen of Mathura skillfully perform. Their latent contribution in acting as messengers of river conservation is equally indispensable. Their voluntarism in cleaning the river is worthy of a thousand applauds. The secrets of river reveal themselves if only one engages in a candid conversation with these ambassadors of Yamuna, for in their stories lay the inspiration of a holistic public participation for Namami Gange programme.

Realizing the importance of role being played by Naviks of Mathura in eliciting local participation in the city, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation while celebrating ‘Ganga Swachhta Pakhwada’ felicitated more than 50 Naviks during an event on Vishram Ghat on 30^th March 2017. The task of cleaning of Yamuna, one of Ganga’s tributaries, falls under the ambit of Namami Gange programme.

Embellishing his boat to participate in the ‘Ganga Swachhta Pakhwada’ event, 18-year-old Nitesh said: “We are excited about the event as rarely do we see such activities from the government to inspire confidence in us, adding, “Cleaning the river or Shram Daan may be a one-off activity for some. But for us it is part of our life. For most part of the day we stay on the river and witness its condition deteriorate. It is not our job but our duty to keep the river, which feeds us, clean and healthy.”

On being asked what exactly they do to keep the river clean, Nitesh’s friend, Raj Kumar, who has been ferrying boat for the past 5 years, intervened: “Now-a-days, there is not much floating waste on the river. But during festivals when people offer flowers and other items the situation worsens. We then gather and collect all floating waste. We then dig a pit across the river, as explained to us, and put all that material in it.”

Udit, another teenage Navik, added: “We encounter people from all walks of life and everybody laments the poor and deteriorating health of the river. But, we have felt more often than not that most people do not want to do anything by themselves. Everyone wants a clean river without making any contribution of their own. Though we may not be as wise as people living in big cities and older than us, we know that river is to be felt not understood. It is, therefore, disheartening sometimes to see reactions of some visitors.”

Locals also acknowledge that the condition of the river has become alarming and government should pace up their activities, which the Government of India through Namami Gange programme is committed to do. Raj Kumar Bhagde, who has ancestral linkage with Mathura said: “I have seen the color and flow of these waters change in front of me and hope that government efforts are expedited to save river Yamuna.” Pointing out the usefulness of deployment of Trash Skimmers under Namami Gange programme in Mathura in February on trial basis, Raj Kumar adds: “Those machines were extremely effective. They would gather all the floating waste of almost entire stretch and would dump it at one place for its proper disposal. The water looked cleaner. But, those machines were taken off after about a month. They should return as soon as possible.” Already approved, a trash skimmer, funded by NMCG, is scheduled to reach Mathura very soon.

Hira, another Navik, also praised trash skimmers and said: “When these machines were in place, we were roped-in by the officials. We were asked to pick all the waste collected by the machine and dump it in the pits dug by the government officials on the river’s banks.” “It was a very good machine and we learnt a lot of new things on river conservation during that time.”

Taking the lesson of selflessness from these Naviks of Mathura, we all should contribute, in our own small or big way, in making Ganga Aviral and Nirmal. One can start by, willfully, not putting any harmful pious offerings like plastic into the river. NMCG will be back with more such stories to bring about a change in consciousness of the people. It is time we stopped taking river Ganga for granted.