By Nitish, Piyush,
Nipun,Shourya,Siddhant, Nimit
Students of LNMIIT JAipur
-River or Drain?
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Visit the Pollution Control Office of Delhi and collect data pertaining
to pollution in Yamuna.
Suggest ways to minimize the pollution from the major sources.
Make an action plan
Start an awareness campaign through a poster competition.
FACTS & FIGURES
Source :
Yamunotri
Length :
1,370 km
Coverage :
Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi
Tributaries :
Chambal, Betwa, Sind &
Ken
• It is said that, Yamuna is the consort of Lord Shri Krishna.
• Yamuna descended down the hills and reached the plains at
Khandav Vana which has been developed as Delhi city now.
• Yamuna and Yama are believed to be the offspring of Sun God
'Surya'. Hence it is considered that whoever takes a dip in the
holy waters of the source stream of Yamuna may not have fear
of death.
Yamuna in Earlier days
•
The main stream of the river Yamuna originated from the
Yamunotri glacier near Bandar Punch in the Mussorie range of
lower Himalayas in the district of Uttar Kashi in Uttar Pradesh.
• Some say the source of the river is the Saptarishi Kund, a
glacial lake.
• The Yamuna river passing through 22 km in Delhi was once described
as the lifeline of the city, but today it has become one of the dirtiest
rivers in the country.
• Delhi generates about 3,267 million litres per day (mld) of sewage
while the city's installed waste water treatment capacity is only 2,330
mld. More than 937 mld of waste is not treated. Out of Delhi's 2,330
mld treatment capacity, 37 per cent is under-utilised and 1,270 mld
of sewage is untreated and allowed to enter the river everyday.
•
The Yamuna’s 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.
• Pollution levels in the Yamuna have risen. Biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD) load has increased by 2.5 times between 1980
and 2005 - from 117 tonnes per day (TPD) in 1980 to 276
TPD in 2005.
•
Delhi discharges about 3,684 MLD (million litres per day) of
sewage into the Yamuna.
•
The faecal coliform count, which indicates the presence of
disease causing micro- organisms, is nearly 25,000 times more
than the limit prescribed for bathing.
•
Delhi and Agra together account for 90 per cent of the
pollution in the river.
• The Capital has 16 drains discharging treated and untreated
wastewater/sewage into Yamuna.
•
The Najafgarh drain contributes to 60% of the total
wastewater and 45 per cent of the total BOD load being
discharged from Delhi into the Yamuna. The municipal
wastewater has increased from 960 MLD in 1977 to 1,900 MLD
in 1997.
•
The capacity for treatment -increased from 450 MLD in 1977
to 1,270 MLD in 1997.
• All existing Industries, dumping the waste water in Yamuna,
should setup a waste water management plant at their source,
and new industries should be given license only if they have a
waste management plant
• Extensive plantation on banks of Yamuna
• Sewerage should flow in the river only after treatment
• Electric Crematoriums should be built and their
usage encouraged
• Community Toilets and low cost sanitation to be
built and usage encouraged
• Religious activities:
• Idols made of POP should be banned and mud idols should be used for
immersion.
• Use of soap and detergents during ritual baths should be banned
• Plan to mobilise people so that they follow the Action
plan and be vigilant enough to deter others from
violating the plan.
• Sharing of awareness posters with the community
• Making Eco clubs in the localities and these clubs will take up
the responsibility to clean the banks regularly and mobilise
support.
• Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh recently said that
Yamuna is not a river in Delhi. It is nothing better than a nullah.
So, whatever happened to the Rs 1,800 crore
granted by the government of Delhi that was
supposed to be spent on cleaning the river?
• Yamuna is dead in a city that expresses no gratitude towards
the river that meets more than 70 per cent of its water demand
(before it turns into a virtual drain at Wazirabad in west Delhi.
• If towns (like Agra) downstream do what Delhi is so ruthlessly
doing to the river, then even this 'river-nullah' might turn into a
multitude of open sewers and drains.
As environmentalist Sunita Narain
said cryptically: "The River is
dead. It just has not been officially
cremated."
Shocked activist Ginny Harris of the Alice
Ferguson Foundation which is involved in the
Potomac river cleaning in Washington DC,
exclaimed: "My god, you call this a river!"
while interacting with local activists.
The river is filled with garbage floating on the surface. This includes everything
from plants to human waste.
.
• River Thames in London was so polluted and stinking in the year
1850 that the British Parliament had to be shifted away from
the river, says Robert Oates, director of the Thames River
Restoration Trust.
• A century and half on, the river is much cleaner and Britain, he
says, is now investing in cleaning a tributary of the Thames, the
Lee, ahead of the London Olympics in 2012.
Yamuna - Today
Earlier
Now
Yamuna was clean,
serene and green
People love to visit for
boating & picnic
People used to compose
poems on the beauty of
Yamuna
People used to take holy
dip in the sacred river
Yamuna is dirty, polluted
and stinky
Industries are throwing
industries waste
Yamuna banks is used
as garbage dumping
ground
Now animals are getting
bathed, Dead bodies are
cremated in Yamuna
Most probable number (MPN): per 100 ml of sample1
Poster Making & Public awareness
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Wikipedia
www.knowyourrivers.com
Locals and elders
Old newspapers and magazines
Pollution Control Office of Delhi
• Piyush Kumar Tiwari – Y10UC217: Research and content.
• Nipun Ashwini Iyer – Y10UC200: Extraction and compilation of
data and Powerpoint.
• Shourya Ranka – Y10UC311:Photography and Powerpoint.
• Nitish Bansal – Y10UC204: Photography.
• Nimit Malhotra – Y10UC199: Presentation.
• Siddhant Sardana – Y10UC322: Photography and Facilitator.