Yamuna: More Than Just a River & In Need of Protecting

Toxic Foam covering the Yamnua River in Delhi, India

Yamuna River is an ancient river in India that flows down from the Himalayas and traverses 1,376 kilometers (855 mi). It is one of India’s most sacred rivers, and also one of its most polluted. For many, especially inhabitants of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states, the Yamuna is a source of life, pilgrimage, and even shelter. Over 60 million depend on the river for water. And yet as the river nears Delhi it turns into a sewage drain. At its source the beauty of the Yamuna can be seen, but as it nears densely populated areas in the throes of industrialization the sight becomes heartbreaking.

The state of pollution is so bad that not only is it an environmental travesty, it is also poising people, especially the more vulnerable. Seizures, brain tape worms, and acute diarrhea (4th leading cause of death in India) are just some of the health problems to result from the pollution. Many can’t afford bottled water or special tap filters (a lucrative industry in India), and are at the whim of water mafias and an in-cohesive government.

120 million gallons of untreated sewage enter the Yamuna daily. Industrial effluent is dumped into the river from 22 drains and the streams and rivulets that used to feed in rainwater are eroded or choked off by trash. Around Delhi toxic foam can be seen on the river and all aquatic life is gone. Despite this, there are many residents of Delhi that still live by the river banks, bathe regularly in the water, cook along the riverbanks, and wash their clothes in the river.

Surprisingly, a great deal of money has been acquired to save the Yamuna and the financial resources are there. A primary problem is that “20 state and federal government bodies squabble for control over different elements of the river.” Instead of working in cooperation for a common goal, to save the river and the people they are supposed to serve, bureaucracy is rife amongst the officials. Himanshu Thakkar, an engineer who coordinates the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People commented that, “at the moment, nobody really knows how the treatment plants function. And if they don’t function, there are no corrective measures. Nothing happens.” He believes in order for it to function there needs to an independent board to oversee the river that can continually monitor the clean-up and has the power to question officials. Either way, change needs to happen, not just talked about, to save this important river.