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Yamuna (यमुना) River
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Introduction and map of Yamuna
River Yamuna (यमुना), with a total length of around
1,370 kilometers (851 mi), is the largest tributary of the Ganges (River
Ganga गगां) in northern India. Yamuna is considered the most sacred among all the rivers as per Hindu mythology. Its source is at Yamunotri, in the Uttarakhand Himalaya,
in the Himalayan Mountains. It flows through the states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, before merging with the Ganges at Allahabad. The cities of Delhi, Mathura and Agra lie on its banks.
Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, especially around
Delhi, which dumps about 57% of its waste into the river. Delhi alone contributes around 3,296
million litres per day of sewage in the river. Even the the Supreme Court Justice B.S. Chauhan, sitting in a bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G.
Balakrishnan could not refrain from observing that "it is no more a maili Yamuna but a ganda nullah."
Yamunotri is the source of the revered river Yamuna. It constitutes one of the four most important pilgrimages, collectively called 'Char Dham' of the Garhwal Himalayas
or Uttarakhand. |
Map of River Yamuna (यमुना) |
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Source of Yamuna River
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. There is a sacred shrine of Yamunotri or Yamnotri, near this source at an altitude of 3235 m.
There is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Yamuna, which remains closed from
November to May. At Hanumanchatti, the Hanuman Ganga merges with Yamuna river. According to a legend, this secluded hilly spot was the home of an ancient sage, Asit Muni. |
Temple of Goddess Yamuna
The temple was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century. |
Yamuna River in plains
The main stream of the river Yamuna originated from the Yamunotri glacier
of Uttar Kashi in Uttar Pradesh. The Tons and Giri rivers are the important tributaries of Yamuna and principal source of water in
mountaineous range. The river Yamuna traverse a route length of about 1200 km in the plain from Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh to the confluence with river Ganga at Allahabad.
The main tributaries joining in this reach include the Hindon from eastern bank and the Chambal, the Sind, Betwa and the Ken from south-western bank. The
catchment of the Yamuna river system covers parts of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the entire state of Delhi. Each one of these major tributaries in turn have its own tributary system.
The River Giri with its tributaries Ashwani and Kawal Khad and the Gambhar with its main tributary Baliana are the main rivers
in the eastern and western part of the Solan district. The River Tons meets river Yamuna at Dakpathar in
U.P. River Hindon originates from Upstream of Saharanpur in U.P. and meets River Yamuna downstream Delhi at Mazawali, Haryana.
River Chambal is most important tributaries occupying nearly half of the basin area of
Yamuna. River Chambal originates from Bar Nagar (M.P.) and joins River Yamuna after Udi (U.P.) at Juhikha (U.P.). From its origin onwards tributaries, Khan and Kshipra join river Chambal before Nagada (M.P.).
Another main tributary of River Chambal is Kalisindh which gets additional water from tributary Parwan at Kota
(Rajasthan).
River Betwa originates from the upstream of Mandideep (Bhopal,
M.P.) and joins River Yamuna at the down stream of Hamirpur (M.P.). River Mandakini and Ken are the last tributaries of river
Yamuna before it joins river Ganga. |
Yamuna river in Agra
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Pollution in Yamuna River
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. The reason:
* 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 per cent 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.
* A Central Pollution Control Board study on river water quality at the upstream of Wazirabad shows dissolved oxygen (DO) level at 7.5 mg/l and BOD level at 2.3 mg/l.
* At downstream Okhla, the DO level declined to 1.3 mg/l with the BOD at 16
mg/l, indicating considerable deterioration in water quality due to discharge of sewage and industrial effluents.
* The coliform count at Wazirabad is 8,506/100 ml whereas at Okhla, it increases
to 3,29,312/100 ml, as against the prescribed standard of 500/100 ml.
Sources: White Paper by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Centre for Science and Environment |
Broken mobile phones, cathode ray tubes, radiators, mangled printed circuit boards and smashed refrigerator parts - the e-waste is brimming with electronic junk from the stream of sewage and garbage dumps lining a nallah in
Patparganj, East Delhi which goes in Yamuna.
As dawn breaks, on the banks of the Yamuna, metal scrap from the circuit boards, melts away and settle at the bottom of the acid bath. As the acid loses its
corrosiveness after 4 to 5 uses, the bath tubs are drained into the Yamuna. From the river,
poisonous metals and chemicals find their way into the ground water, from where it reaches your drinking water supply.
From polluted river Yamuna is suspected to be
the cause of sudden deaths of around 96 gharials in River Chambal within last two months. |
Yamuna action plan (YAP)
Government of India (GOI) in 12 towns of Haryana, 8 towns of Uttar Pradesh, and
Delhi under Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) which is being implemented since 1993 by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) of the Ministry
of Environment and Forests. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is participating in the Yamuna Action Plan in 15 of the above 21 towns
on the direction of the Supreme Court of India with soft loan assistance of
about Rs. 700 crore, while GOI is providing the funds for the remaining 6 towns added later. The Indian government's plans to repair sewage
lines is predicted to improve the water quality of the river 90% by the year 2010. The government has spent nearly $500 million trying to clean up the river, most of it going to
waste -treatment stations, yet pollution levels more than doubled from 1993 to 2005 and continue to rise.
A total expenditure of Rs. 682 crore has been incurred under the first phase of the Yamuna Action Plan
(YAP).The phase which commenced in April 1993 was completed in 2003 covering 21 towns of UP, Delhi &
Haryana. The second Phase of YAP commenced in December, 2004. Till September, 2009, an expenditure of Rs 226.89 crore has been incurred under this phase. The projects
taken up under YAP include interception and diversion of raw sewage, setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants, creation of low cost sanitation facilities, setting up of electric/improved wood crematoria etc. Sewage treatment capacity of 753.25 mld has been created so far
under this Plan. Besides YAP, the Government of NCT of Delhi has taken up sewerage and sewage treatment works under other schemes to fully address the pollution load being discharged into Yamuna.
The water quality of Yamuna has not shown the desired improvement owing to large gap between the demand and availability of sewage treatment capacity and lack of fresh water in the river.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by Sh Bhagat Singh Koshyari in Rajya Sabha November 23, 2009. |
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History
It
is said that, Yamuna is the consort of Lord Shri Krishna. Gokula, the divine abode of the Lord is the home of Yamuna. It is
said that the river first went round Shri Krishna before descending down to earth as per the order of her Lord. River Yamuna came to be called as "Kalindi"as she touched the peak of Kalind. Then she 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.
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Yamuna in Hindu religion
The rivers Ganga and Yamuna along with the now dried Saraswati, are the most sacred rivers in India. Yamuna, according to the legends, is the daughter of the Sun God, Surya and the sister of Yama, the God of Death.
The Goddess is believed to have come down from the heavens to sanctify the world. As she first came to rest on the peaks of the mountain Kalinda (in the Himalayas), she is also referred to as
Kalindini. According to ancient beliefs it is said that those who take a dip in the holy waters of the river do not fear death.
Ymuna river is also closely connected to Mahabharat and Lord Krishna.
While His father Vasudeva was crossing the Yamuna with baby Lord Krishna for a safe place at Gokula on the other bank of the river from
Mathura, the Lord fell down in the river, and by the dust of His lotus feet the river at once became sanctified.
A bath in Yamuna river is said to be one hundred times more purifying than a bath in the
Ganges, because the Ganges was once touched by the feet of Lord Vishnu, it was the Yamuna where Lord Krishna Himself played and swam with His cowherd
boyfriends and with the beautiful gopi damsels of Vraja. |
Lord Krishnas father Vasudeva, crossed the Yamuna with baby Lord Krishna for a safe place. |
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Economy
River Yamuna is the largest tributary of Ganga. It serves as the lifeline to lakhs of people living on its banks. It provides
drinking water and is also used for irrigating vast agricultural lands. The cities and towns on the bank extract large quantities of water
for industrial use and discharge a variety of pollutants in the river making Yamuna as one of the most polluted rivers in the country.
Pollution is not the only problem plaguing the Yamuna. Upstream of
Wazirabad, on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border — where till now the river had somehow managed to retain its free-flowing character before literally turning into a drain in the city — the sand mining mafia is clandestinely working to change the course of the river.
Each day, hundreds of truckloads of sand is being carried out by the miners, who police say are residents of nearby villages. Each truckload is sold for about Rs 800 on the outskirts of Delhi, basically for construction purposes.
Ecology
Yamuna supports a wide variety of plant and animal species.
The river is home to thousands of resident and migratory birds. The banks of the river are one of the last refuges
for the dwindling populations of blackbucks, chitals, and nilgais etc. |
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Yamuna after immersed idols
The government failed yet again to provide Delhiites with special enclosures for immersions this Dussehra
on September 28, 2009 and, consequently, the river was ravaged with hundreds of idols and tonnes of pooja samagri and flowers.Delhi Pollution Control Board had
released a list of 13 spots where immersions could be carried out but people thrown their puja packets from almost all bridges in the city.
The damage done to the river each year in the garb of religious
practices can be judged by the fact that more than 3,000 idols from
about 450 puja pandals and other smaller celebrations are immersed
annually during the puja season.
Environmentalists also point out the irony of immersing anything holy in the river which has been reduced to a drain.
While 60 per cent of Delhi's water needs are met by Yamuna, almost the same percentage of the city's sewage finds its way into the river. The national capital alone produces 3.6 billion litre of sewage every day but due to poor management, less than half of it is effectively treated.
The remaining untreated waste is dumped into the Yamuna River. |
Hundreds of idols of Goddess Durga and her pantheon were immersed in the Yamuna river
on September 28, 2009 to mark the end of the Durga Puja festival in the capital.
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Yamuna in Dehli
Yamuna traverses 1,375 km from Yamnotri, its Himalayan source in Uttarakhand, to
Allahabad in UP, and maintains a seemingly good quality of water till it reaches
Wazirabad in Delhi. In Delhi, 15 drains discharge their filthy muck and waste
into the river, making it the most polluted river in the country with practically no biologically dissolved oxygen. It runs for 22 km in Delhi and
what flows (does not flow) is basically stagnant filth, effluents, sewage and pollutants.
Delhi, the capital of
India is best known for pollution of the Yamuna River, which looks like a sewer. Once the lifeline of Delhi, Yamuna has now became
the most polluted water resource of the country. India’s capital New Delhi is not at par with other major
cities of the world despite its magnificent flyovers, towering buildings, huge multiplexes, fun parks,
metro and much more. A number of reasons are behind Delhi’s ailing position and
pollution of river Yamuna is one of them. From big industries and factories to people living in big colonies, slums and
rural areas, all pollute the river with impunity because of untreated water.
A number of projects were launched by the government to clean the Yamuna, but till date nothing has
happened. Not only the
government, but also several NGOs are working to clean the Yamuna. Yet the
situation is worsening by the day. You can’t stand for even a few minutes on the
Yamuna’s bank at some places due to the foul smell of the stagnant water.
Recently, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit claimed that Yamuna would be cleaner
up to 70 per cent before the Commonwealth Games in 2010. But
Narain, the director of the Science and Environment Centre, says that throwing more money into a sewage-diversion infrastructure project would be a waste. Ironically, the Delhi
government itself submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court stating that the Yamuna clean drive would not be complete before 2012. In its affidavit,
Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said that the river remained a ‘sewage canal’ due to the 143 unauthorised colonies, 1,080 slums and villages that present a problem in
collection of sewage water that flows into the Yamuna untreated.
Delhi government has also inserted advertisements in newspapers claiming that
the river would be clean by 2010. But the affidavit has cut short the tall claims of Delhi government to clean up the river by 2010.
According to reports,
for the last 14 years the apex court is monitoring all the steps taken by the Delhi Jal Board to clean up the river. About Rs 1,800 crore has been spent on
the cleaning drive in 14 years, but the river is becoming more and more polluted daily.
The fate of the Yamuna is now in the hands of India's Supreme Court, which took up the issue on its own in 1994 after press reports highlighting the river's dismal
condition. In May the Court approved a proposal from the Delhi Jal Board to build interceptor sewers that would channel the waste flowing from unconnected parts of the city to the sewage-treatment plants. The
new construction will cost another $500 million.
The premier pollution control agency is regularly monitoring the rivers water quality under National River Conservation Directorate sponsored project. "The 22-km stretch which runs through the capital contributes 77 per cent of the total pollution recorded from the 1768-km-long river," the CPCB said.
As many as 18 drains in national capital falling in Yamuna contributed mainly to total 265 tonnes/day BOD load in 2007 while canals in Agra and Gurgaon added around 50
tonnes. Of these 18 drains, five drains -- Najafgarh, Shahdara, Sarita Vihar Bridge, Sen Nursing Home and Power House contributed 83 per cent of total load, the report said, adding domestic and industrial sewage generated within the city is the main source of pollution.
Delhi and Agra-located on the river Yamuna. These cities are looking for water, even as a river passes by them; Delhi is already getting water from the Tehri dam, over 500 km away.
In its ongoing efforts to keep pollution away from the Yamuna river, the government has okayed a major interceptor sewer project for
the city under JNNURM on February 14, 2010. The Rs 1,358 crore project, largest ever under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for Delhi, aims to trap untreated water at Najafgarh
and Shahdara drains. The interceptor will be treating 1,320 million litres per day before releasing the water into the drains which flow into the Yamuna.
Yamuna no better than drain
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh recently said that Yamuna is not a river in Delhi. It is a nullah. So, whatever happened to the Rs 1,800 crore
spent on cleaning the river? Hollow promises made by Delhi and Central government to clean the river before
Commonwealth Games in 2010 have met a dead-end. 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."
All those accusations about the failure of
the government to clean up the Yamuna was acknowledged by the CM
herself on June 22, 2009. Answering a question during the budget session, Dikshit admitted that despite the crores of rupees that have gone into
cleaning the river Yamuna, "there has been no result''.
After spending nearly Rs 1,500 crore, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on February 17, 2010 that it is virtually impossible for her government
to clean the Yamuna before the Commonwealth Games to be held in the city from
October 3 to 14. "It will not be possible to clean the river ahead of the Commonwealth
Games. It cannot be cleaned in just a few months," she told reporters when asked whether
the government has failed to clean the river.
"It is shameful that the Yamuna is no better than a dirty drain right now,'' added the CM.
Dikshit added that proposals to use the Seine model the river flowing through French capital Paris was not possible in Delhi, as
there had been a tremendous amount of unplanned growth in the city. Claiming that the "foreign technology'' would need to be customised
for the citys needs, Dikshit added that the beautification of the riverbank would, however, be on track for 2010. The city though will
have to wait for the river Yamuna to get back to its pristine self for another few years. " The sanitation situation has worsened in the
past few years with the growth in population, and that has added to the problem,'' added Dikshit.
On January 16, 2010 a group of US green activists was shocked to see the state of
river Yamuna behind the Taj Mahal. "My god, you call this a river!" said one of them.
The group represents river cleaning foundations in the US. 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 at a meeting here.
Union Sports minister M S Gill said the Yamuna is so dirty
that foreign visitors should be kept away from the river during the Commonwealth
Games, plans are afoot to make the riverbed a tourist-friendly zone — keeping in mind environmental issues.
According to Central Pollution Control Board, around 70 percent of the pollution
in the Yamuna is human excrement. A major source of pollution of the Yamuna is New Delhi, which contributes 3,296
MLD (million litres per day) of sewage into the river. Only half of the sewage produced in New Delhi is treated effectively.
Sewage discharge from New Delhi and major towns like Mathura have irreversibly
altered its ecology. The river has been termed as incapable of supporting any aquatic life.
The plastic cloud over Yamuna: March 2,
2010- On the still waters of the Yamuna River in Vrindavan, India, Anne Percoco
performed the traditional act of worship known as Parikrama, or circling, using
more than 1,000 plastic water bottles, bound in the shape of a cloud.
The plastic cloud circled Vrindavan in recognition of the disastrous effects
pollution can have on the environment.
Biology Professor Judith Weis said .
“Chemicals have a real effect on organisms and a potential effect on people who
either eat the organisms that live in the water or that drink the water,” she
said. “But in terms of having a piece of artwork, using trash helps bring attention to the issue.”
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