What have we done to the life line of the city over the years...!!!

Emperor Akbar liked to spend time watching the river Yamuna from the palace terrace at nights before retiring to bed. Some times Birbal would also join him on the terrace and they would have conversations about a variety of topics. 
One summer night, while they sat in silence, listening to the river flow, Akbar asked, “Why does Yamuna cry, Birbal?”
Without a moment’s hesitation Birbal said, “It is in the nature of young women to cry when they are married off.”
“Explain”, said the Emperor curiously.
“Young river Yamuna has been staying with her father the Himalayas. Now she is on her way to meet her husband the mighty ocean. So along the way from her father’s home where she grew up to her husband home where she will spend the rest of her life, she is crying!”
Akbar was pleased with Birbal prompt but poetic answer.

                          The course of the river Yamuna

The River Yamuna

Originating from the Yamunotri glacier in the lower Himalayas, the Yamuna is one of the largest tributaries of the Ganges river network. The river travels a total of 1376 kilometers crossing several northern states in India including Uttrakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and later Delhi, the capital of the country. In Hindu mythology, the Yamuna is considered the daughter of Sun God, Surya, and sister of Yama, the God of Death, hence also known as Yami. According to popular legends, bathing in its sacred waters frees one from the torments of death.

The Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) is a bilateral project between the Government of India and Japan. It is one of the largest river restoration projects in India. The government of Japan, via the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), has provided financial aid of 17.7 billion yen to carry out the project, which is being executed by the National River Conservation Directorate, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the Government of India.

 India is getting assistance from Japan for a programme to cleanse the Yamuna river, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said Monday"

Japan international Co-operation Agency (JICA) has agreed to provide a loan of 32,571 million yen to the Government of India for the 3rd phase of the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP)," Natarajan said.. 

"The government is implementing the Yamuna Action Plan in a phased manned with assistance from the government of Japan. A total of 286 schemes for cleaning the river have already been implemented in 21 towns of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. sewage cleaning capacity of 767.25 million litres per day has been created," she added. (IANS)