The 1376km long course of Yamuna has not only helped India geographically, but has played a prevalent role in the country’s mythological and Mughal history as well.

 In a tale pertaining to Lord Krishna's birth, his father Vasudeva carried him to safety. While crossing the Yamuna River, he asked the river Goddess to make way for him, which she did by creating a safe passage through her. This was the first time that she saw Krishna, who she married later in life. 

"We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.”  -Jacques Yves Cousteau

Human activities such as deforestation, land degradation, pollution have indeed altered our ecosystem at a very fast rate. River Yamuna, the largest tributary of the River Ganga, is a great example for the same.

Yamuna has practically no aquatic life left due to choking on plastic, toxic waste and this has caused localized extinction of species downstream around areas like Delhi and Agra. This same water merges into the Ganges and drains into the Bay of Bengal, affecting not just one ecosystem.

Yamuna's plight has not gone unnoticed by the people, or the government and many actions are underway to restore the river's purity namely the Yamuna Action Plan.

• We as students, can raise campaigns and influence the masses through social media with real time streaming of changing conditions of the river, which will be possible after COVID ends due to our proximity to the river. Strength in numbers can easily create a difference.
• One does not need to live near the river to help, however. Another way is funding government and privately owned endeavors and popularizing alternate sustainable methods.