POLLUTION IN YAMUNA RIVER

Compiled by:YASH VARDHAN JAIN CHETAN SINGH

INTRODUCTION River Yamuna, with a total length of around 1370 km is the largest tributary of the Ganges. Its source is at Yamunotri in the Uttarakhand Himalaya regions. It flows through the state of Uttaranchal, Haryana, Delhi an Uttar Pradesh before merging with the Ganges in Allahabad. It used to be a clear blue river but since the past few decades it has turned into one of the most polluted river in the world, especially Delhi, which dumps about 57% of its waste into the river. Even the Supreme Court justice, B.S chauhan, sitting in a bench had observed that it is no more a, Maili Yamuna but a Ganda Naalah. Q1) WHAT ARE CAUSES BEHIND POLLUTION OF YAMUNA? Increasing pollution of the Yamuna has now become an international issue and a cause of concern for environmentalists. Big industries, Factories, Peoples living in colonies, slums and rural areas everyone pollute this holy river. In addition, the water in this river remains stagnant for almost nine months in a year, aggravating the situation. Agricultural residues, insecticides and pesticides also contribute to the pollution of the river. Also People wash their clothes, utensils and defecate in the river and pollute it. Q2) WHY IS DELHI THE MAIN CULPRIT IN POLLUTING YAMUNA? The Yamunas 22-km stretch in Delhi is barely 2 per cent of the length of the river, but contributes over 70 per cent of the pollution load. Delhi discharges about 3,684 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage through its 18 drains into the Yamuna and along with Agra it account for 90 percent of the pollution in the river. At downstream Okhla, the DO (dissolved oxygen) level declined to 1.3 mg/l with the BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) at 16 mg/l, indicating considerable deterioration in water quality due to discharge of sewage and industrial effluents From big industries and factories to people living in big colonies, slums and rural areas in Delhi, all pollute the river with impunity because of untreated water. Delhi jal board said that the river remained a sewage canal due to the 143 unauthorised colonies, 1080 slums and villages that present a problem in collection of sewage water that flows into the Yamuna untreated.

Q 3) WHAT ARE THE HAZARDS OF POLLUTED YAMUNA ON LIFE FORMS? YAMUNA IN DELHI IS CALLED DEAD RIVER because there is no trace of life supporting oxygen. A recent study conducted by the energy and resources institute (TERI), indicates the presence of heavy metals in the vegetables that are grown with Yamuna water, making them hazardous to health. Yamuna now releases ammonia gas into the air that causes difficulty in breathing and a permanent damage to lungs. it also releases hydrogen sulphide gas (h2s) that smells like rotten eggs, which causes bronchitis, asthma and headache, excessive pollution of Yamuna has resulted into obliteration of all life forms except toxic bacterias. The arsenic levels which has increased 20 times in the last 20 years in the river is directly responsible for causing cancer and skin problem This is suspected to be the cause of sudden deaths of about 156 gharials in river Chambal and thousands of fishes in the river between Vrindavan and Mathura within one year. MAIN CAUSE OF EUTROPHICATION: - It is the process in which biodegradable waste when discharged into the water bodies it leads to formation of algae on the surface of water. This lowers the dissolved oxygen in water leading to the death of aquatic animals and plants.

Q4) Which are the authorities taking care of pollution in Yamuna? Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Delhi Pollution Control Committee ( DPCC) State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Civil society groups Educomp and Kent RO Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Delhi Jal Board is responsible for treatment and disposal of wastewater through an efficient network of about 5600 KMS of internal, peripheral and trunk-sewer. The DJB has provided sewage facilities in all the approved colonies. Out of 567 unauthorized /regularized colonies, 414 colonies have been provided with sewage system and they have laid sewer lines in all re- settlement colonies. Sewer lines have also been laid in 93 urban villages. Apart from this, DPCC, SPCB and the civil society groups have took initiatives to clean the river.

Q5) What are the Steps taken by the Indian Government for this problem? Till date, More than 2158 crores have been spent by the government of India, and the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh combined. A few years back when the pollution level of Yamuna increased alarmingly, the Delhi government woke up and launched a number of projects to clean up Yamuna. In 2009 Year Delhi Govt. entered into agreement with Engineers India Limited to clean Yamuna. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) proposed laying down sewers along the three major drains Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahadra drains. 17 STPs (Sewage treatment plant) and 10 CEPTs (common effluent treatment plant) were built. Also 30 Kms of trunk sewers were repaired (out of 130Km) and many slums were removed from riverfront and low cost toilets were built. On May19, 2010 the cabinet committee on infrastructure (CCI) approved the project for laying interceptors sewers along the three major drains in Delhi for abatement of pollution in the Yamuna river.

Q6) What is Yamuna action plan? The Government of India has been implementing Yamuna action plan (YAP) With assistance from Japan international cooperation agency, Government of Japan in a phased manner since 1993. Yamuna Action Plan (YAP -1): YAP-I, which commenced in April, 1993 was completed in February 2003 at a total cost of Rs. 682 crores covering various pollution abatement works, including creation of Sewage Treatment capacity of 753.25 million litres per day (MLD). Yamuna Action Plan (YAP -II): YAP-II was approved in 2003 at an estimated cost of Rs. 624 crores with a completion period of 5 years. The major items of work in YAP -II such as rehabilitation of sewerage network and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and construction of new STPs. Yamuna Action Plan (YAP- III): the YAP III project for Delhi within estimated cost of RS 1656 CRORES HAS BEEN APPROVED IN 2011. While YAP I and YAP II had been a failure, fingers are crossed for YAP III.

Q7) WHAT ARE THE REASONS OF FAILURE OF YAP I & II? STPs built under YAP-1, was designed for the 1997 population load, which became insufficient by 2002 because of a tremendous increase in population. Delhi's population has grown at a phenomenal rate of 47percent per decade (as against the national average of 21 percent), but planning and provisioning of infrastructure has not kept pace with the increase in population, resulting in rural villages, shanties and colonies without adequate sewerage infrastructure.

Mainly the money provided for the plan was spent on paying wages to the employees salary instead of cleaning the river. There has not been much public awareness during YAP I & II by the authorities which resulted in rising pollution.

Q8) What are the main objectives of Yamuna action III? It is aimed for the rehabilitation of damaged trunk sewers, rehabilitation and modernisation of sewage treatment plants and construction of new plants. Further expansion of sewage treatment capacity and effluent treatment capacity if it is required at Panipat so that there is no infiltration of waste water into the Yamuna when the river flows from Haryana to Delhi Former Environment Minister Mr Jairam Ramesh has said:- Under the Yamuna Action Plan-III, the existing sewage treatment network in Delhi will be modernized in a very big way. There will be continuous monitoring of water pollution at Palla, where Yamuna enters Delhi from Haryana and there will be similar monitoring at Badarpur where Yamuna flows from Delhi back to into Haryana. Four projects have been lined up for the construction of STPs in Delhi by the end of this year in Yamuna vihar, Kondli, Okhla and Kapashera.

Q8) Does Yamuna affects only the living forms? Through research it has been found that polluted Yamuna river not only affect living organisms but also has a bad affect on non living forms. Yamuna and Metro:The Delhi Metro is losing its cool on the Yamuna stretch due to the toxic river. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation officials claim the air conditioning systems of trains that cross the dead Yamuna daily are badly damaged. The toxic gases damage the coating on the condenser joints of the AC system, which in turn causes leakage of coolant gas, said DMRC director Rajkumar. Condenser systems of 350 coaches on lines 3 (Dwarka-Noida City Centre) and 4 (Yamuna Bank-Vaishali) and of 100 out of 200 coaches on line 1 (Dilshad GardenRithala) have been replaced. But heres the more worrying aspect: if the river toxins are affecting the Metro, it is also causing your respiratory system.

Yamuna and Taj Mahal: One of Indias most enduring symbols, the Taj Mahal at Agra, could sink as a result of damage to its supporting structure if the depletion and drying of Yamuna River continues, experts fear. The main damage is caused by the drawing of water for industrial purposes and used by the growing population of Haryana, Delhi, UP. The unplanned urbanization and industrialization also has resulted in sewages, waste and poisonous material being spewed back into the river.

Q9) Has the government been really serious for the cause? What has been seen is that, the government has shown temporary interest from time to time rather than a concrete and concerned effort for the grave cause of cleaning Yamuna. Above statement can be validated from the following points: After guaranteeing clean Yamuna and spending nearly Rs. 1500 crore, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit said on February 17, 2010 that it is virtually impossible for her government to clean the Yamuna before the commonwealth Games 2010. First Uttar Pradesh governments Yamuna Expressway at a cost of Rs.9739 crore and now Delhi-Chandigarh expressway for Rs.8000 crore along Yamuna. The river is crying for help for last 15 years, but due to lack of political will or inefficient policies and peoples ignorance, the river is dying slow death. The Supreme Court and the Delhi high court from time to time have scolded the government for having lackadaisical approach towards cleaning Yamuna. Like on April 13, 2012 the supreme court of India ordered the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India to submit a report on the amount of money spent on cleaning the river.

Q10) What are recent developments for the cause of preventing Yamuna? Costliest Yamuna action plan-3 has been launched in 2011 by the government of India with the sole focus on Delhi. Pandit Ravi Shankar foundation- The Art of Living has also taken up the cause of protecting Yamuna under the initiative of meri dilli- meri yamuna and create awareness among people. It has also been supported by many civil society groups, companies like Microsoft, Educomp, Kent RO etc., and world organisations like UNESCO, WORLD BANK etc. After years of hard work, Yamuna Biodiversity park spreading over 456 acres has been created in Wazirabad in North Delhi to replicate the lost ecosystems of the Yamuna river. Once a barren land, it now houses wetlands and forests, sheltering over 1500 plants, insects, birds, fish and mammal species.. The Environment ministry on Feb 19, 2012 announced an escalation of measures for notifying the River Regulation Zone (RRZ).

Q11) How can we gift clean Yamuna to our future generations? Though it may be a very difficult task, but it is not impossible. We can take the example of River THAMES in London. It was so polluted and stinking in the year 1850 that the British parliament had to be shifted away from the river. A century and half on, the river is almost clean. According to Robert Oates, director of the Thames River Restoration Trust- To manage a river, we need a powerful organisation and that is where the government has to take the lead. It needs to involve the local community and business in developing a vision and a plan for the river. Nongovernmental organisations can be intermediaries and representatives. They can inform the government and industry on what people want. The first thing will be to produce a vision for the whole river basin and then take it to the government, industry, municipal corporation, farmers, fishermen and to whoever uses the river and ask them what should be done to achieve it. It worked in the case of the Thames. Preparing vision documents to clean rivers has worked in many other countries like China, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. There needs to be a smart way of using water and sharing it. Recycling waste water and promoting dry crops are some of the solutions. What I have seen of the Yamuna, its a pretty serious situation. The government could give the NGOs a small grant to cooperate with the communities to establish a vision.