chetanyashdsads

7/27/2019 chetanyashdsads

1/7

POLLUTION IN

YAMUNA RIVER

Compiled by:-

YASH VARDHAN JAIN

CHETAN SINGH


2/7

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 flowsthrough 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 acause 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 18drains 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 theBOD (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 ruralareas 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 143unauthorised colonies, 1080 slums and villages that present a problem in collection

of sewage water that flows into the Yamuna untreated.


3/7

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 lifesupporting oxygen.

A recent study conducted by the energy and resources institute (TERI), indicates thepresence 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 breathingand 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 isdirectly responsible for causing cancer and skin problem

This is suspected to be the cause of sudden deaths of about 156 gharials in riverChambal 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 wastewhen 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 about5600 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.


4/7

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, andthe 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 projectfor laying interceptors sewers along the three major drains in Delhi for abatement of

pollution in the Yamuna river.

Q6) What isYamuna 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 wascompleted 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 ofRs. 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 ofRS 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 becameinsufficient by 2002 because of a tremendous increase in population.

Delhi's population has grown at a phenomenal rate of 47percent per decade (asagainst the national average of 21 percent), butplanning and provisioning of

infrastructure has not kept pace with the increase in population, resulting in

rural villages, shanties and colonies without adequate sewerage infrastructure.


5/7

Mainly the money provided for the plan was spent on paying wages to theemployees salary instead of cleaning the river.

There has not been much public awareness during YAP I & II by the authoritieswhich 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 andmodernisation of sewage treatment plants and construction of new plants.

Further expansion of sewage treatment capacity and effluent treatment capacity if itis 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 YamunaAction 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 ofthis 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 ofcoolant 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 Garden-

Rithala) have been replaced. But heres the more worrying aspect: ifthe river toxins

are affecting the Metro, it is also causing your respiratory system.


6/7

Yamuna and Taj Mahal:-

One of Indias most enduring symbols, the Taj Mahal at Agra, could sink as a result ofdamage 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. Theunplanned 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 ChiefMinister 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 andnow 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 thegovernment for having lackadaisical approach towards cleaning Yamuna. Like on

April 13, 2012 the supreme court of India ordered the Central Pollution ControlBoard (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?

CostliestYamuna action plan-3 has been launched in 2011 by the government ofIndia with the sole focus on Delhi.

Pandit Ravi Shankar foundation- The Art of Living has also taken up the cause ofprotecting Yamuna under the initiative ofmeri dilli- meri yamuna and createawareness 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 parkspreading over 456 acres hasbeen 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 fornotifying the River Regulation Zone (RRZ).


7/7

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 apowerful 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. Non-

governmental 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 andpromoting 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.

chetanyashdsads

Documents

Transcript of chetanyashdsads