Yamuna River and Its Origin

This river originates in western Uttarakhand at Yamunotri, in the Bandarpunch massif of the Great Himalayas. The Ganges flowed for 1,376 Km, draining 366,223 sq Km or 40.2 percent of the Ganges Basin, from its beginnings at the height of 6,387 metres on the southwestern slopes of the Bandarpunch hills in Uttarakhand. Allahabad is the site where Yamuna meets the Ganges at Triveni Sangam. In Hinduism, Yami is known as Surya’s daughter and Yama’s (god of death) sister. The Himalayan foothills to the south and the Indo-Gangetic plain to the west are crossed by this river as it swiftly rushes through Uttarakhand. 

Contribution to humanity

It contributes to forming the exceptionally fertile alluvial Ganges-Yamuna Doab region. The Yamuna’s waters support about 57 million people, and the river supplies more than 70 percent of Delhi’s water. The Yamuna has a flow capacity of 97 billion cubic metres per year, and it is consumed at a rate of about 4 billion cubic metres per year. The Yamuna breaks through the Hathni kund barrage into two major canals. The Western Yamuna Canal flows from Haryana to Uttar Pradesh. Further north, the Yamuna is joined by the seasonal Somb in Haryana, and the extremely contaminated Hindon River near Noida.

Pollution of River Yamuna

Long ago, the Yamuna River used to look clear blue, but today, the Yamuna is regarded as one of the world’s most polluted rivers. The river is especially polluted downstream along New Delhi, India’s capital, which dumps a massive quantity of its waste into the river. The water quality in the Upper Yamuna, as the 375-Km section of the Yamuna from Yamunotri to Okhla Barrage is known, is acceptable till the Wazirabad Barrage in Delhi. 

The Yamuna River is significantly contaminated below this level due to the discharge of wastewater in Delhi through 15 drains between Wazirabad and Okhla barrages. In spite of just being home to 2% of the Yamuna’s total watershed, the nation’s capital is responsible for 98% of the pollution that ends up in the river. City water is supplied by Yamuna, which contains untreated or semi-treated industrial effluents and sewage.

Major sources of pollution

Homes: According to a report provided to the Yamuna Pollution Control Committee by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), at least 90% of the city’s residential wastewater flows into the Yamuna. 

The wastewater is primarily a result of domestic activities, as evident in the high detergent concentrations – laundry detergents and phosphate compounds.

Heavy metals were discovered in the Yamuna River: Various heavy metals have been detected through water quality monitoring. Iron (Fe) was found to be the most common heavy metal in the water of the River Yamuna, surpassing the acceptable limit. High levels of heavy metals in water can result in various health problems, including stunted growth and development, cancer, organ damage, nervous system damage, and so on.

Sewage that has not been treated: Over 800 million litres of mostly untreated effluents and waste are pumped into the Yamuna every day. About 44 million litres of industrial effluents are released into the river every day. Only 35% of the total projected sewage is treated before being dumped into the river.

Initiatives taken to curb pollution

Along with the 83-Km sewer network, eleven treatment plants are being erected.

In Gurgaon, a treatment plant with a capacity of 30 million litres per day has been erected, which is expected to lower pollution levels from 200 mg per litre to 30 mg per litre before entering the Yamuna. The city has installed a 5.8-Km sewage system to collect dirty water and transport it to the treatment plant.

Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water Inc. is a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the Yamuna. The goal of this project, which began in 2000, is to clean up the pollution in the Yamuna River and improve the ecosystem in New Delhi. Local team members, students, and activists in Agra, Hyderabad, Delhi, India, and Wuhan, China, organised various watershed cleanup operations on World Water Day, 2010.

Conclusion

In Delhi, Agra, Mathura, and Etawah districts, most rural areas and some urban areas do not have sewerage systems. As a result, sewerage and other domestic waste flow directly to the Yamuna River through the open drains. Wastes of this nature pollute the river and surface and groundwater resources. This should be prohibited at all costs, and a barrier between the river and cities/towns should be constructed. All waste from the town or city should be carried downstream in canals parallel to the river and dumped into the river after treatment, 7 to 10 km downstream of the town or city. As a result, Yamuna pollution and drinking water problems in Delhi, Mathura, and Agra will be prevented.