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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 Delhi
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.
Tributaries of Yamuna
Tons River : Tone River is the largest and longest tributary of Yamuna. It rises in the 20,720 ft (6,315 meters) high Bandarpoonch mountain, and has a large basin in Himachal
Pradesh. Tons river meets Yamuna below Kalsi near Dehradun in Uttarakhand.
Hindon River: Hindon river originates in the Saharanpur District from Upper Shivalik in Lower Himalayan Range. It is entirely rainfed and has a catchment area of 7, 083 Sq Km, It travels 400 km through Muzaffarnagar District , Meerut District, Baghpat District , Ghaziabad , Noida , before joining Yamuna just outside Delhi.
Ken River: Ken river flows through Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It originates from village Ahirgawan in Jabalpur district
and travels a distance of 427 km, before merging with the Yamuna at Chilla village, near Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh. It has an overall drainage basin of 28,058 Sq.Km.
Chambal River: Chambal_River known as /Charmanvati/ in ancient times, flows through Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, with a drainage basin of 143,219 Sq.Km and travels a total distance of 960 km, from its source in Vindhya Range , near
Mhow. There are some big hydro-power generation plants such as Gandhi Sagar dam , Rana Pratap Sagar dam and Jawahar Sagar dam. It merges into the Yamuna south east of Sohan Goan, in Etawah district.
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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.
Perhaps the Yamuna was in spate this year just like this centuries ago when
Lord Krishna was born. As the flooded river meanders its way through the land of the cowherd god, hordes of curious people
have converged on the ghats in Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra, creating a colourful setting for Jamashtami festival.
The Yamuna has made this Janmashtami special. On Tuesday, the water
level in the river crossed the lower danger mark of 495 ft. Right now
it's 495.3 ft, bringing alive the legend of Krishna, when the newly born Sri Krishna lowers his feet into
the river while (his father) Vasudev transports him across the river.
Lord
Krishna with Radha near Yamuna Vasudeva was crossing the Yamuna with baby Lord Krishna |
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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 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.
Gurgaon depends on the Yamuna river for its water but there too the
river water is decreasing at a rate of five percent per year for the past 20 years.
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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Lesson from river Thames
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.
After spending crores of rupees to clean Yamuna river through Yamuna Action Plan, now the Delhi government has said it cannot clean the Yamuna ahead of the
Commonwealth Games this October.
Oates, whose Trust works with the British government and the Environment Agency
of England and Wales to clean the Thames, says: “One of the things we have done
is create tourism and sports opportunities along the Thames. People have to feel
for the river and want to make it part of their lives. The Environment Agency, collects fee for an yearly licence for angling.
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.
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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.
In Delhi, where the government has over the decades spent the maximum amount of
resources to clean the Yamuna, 40 per cent of the mess generated flows untreated
into the river. The Supreme Court may have been seized of the matter for a
decade but nearly half of the population in the Capital does not have a sewage
system and the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna remains the most polluted river
section in the country.
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 are looking for water, even as a river passes by them; Delhi is already getting water from the Tehri dam, over 500 km away.
A Parliamentary panel has criticised the Environment Ministry for diverting catchment areas of Yamuna bank in the city for purposes other than creating reservoirs which would have ensured steady supply of fresh water
in it. "Most of the catchment area of the river Yamuna has been diverted for purposes other than creating
reservoirs," the panel said, taking serious note of the pathetic condition of the river despite several plans and huge investment. In its report tabled in Parliament on April 30, 2010, the panel headed by MP T Subbarami Reddy.
Interceptor sewers : On May 19, 2010 the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure
(CCI) approved the project for laying interceptor sewers along the three
major drains in Delhi for abatement of pollution in the Yamuna River. Interceptor sewers would be laid along Najafgarh, Supplementary and
Shahdara drains. The project is expected to cost of Rs. 1357.71 crore.
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. Only
around 54percent of the population is connected to this sewerage network,
leaving 46percent of the population uncovered. The colonies, villages and Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters without sewerage
facilities are mainly in outer Delhi areas and the wastewater generated is
presently flowing into river Yamuna through 18 drains and sub-drains. Of these 18 drains, the 3 major drains of Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahadara
contribute maximum pollution load. About 1764 MLD of wastewater flows through 190 sub-drains into these 3 major drains and then in the Yamuna river.
A unique Plan: On the World Environment Day 2010 , Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is also doing their bit by developing bio-diversity
parks in the national capital of India, Delhi. These parks are unique landscapes, designed in house by DDA the first of their kind in India
and perhaps in the world, which, like nature reserves, harbour hundreds of vanishing species living together in the form of diverse communities
and provide ecological, cultural and educational benefits to the urban society. The prime goal of the parks is conservation and preservation of
ecosystems of the two major landforms of Delhi, the river Yamuna and the
Aravalli hills.
Yamuna in Agra
The Taj Mahal and other heritage monuments in and around
Agra on the bank of Yamuna river are facing a major threat from dust-laden air. Unabated construction is
making the city’s green cover disappear and drying up water bodies, adding to
the dust levels. The suspended particulate matter (SPM) level in the ambient air around the Taj
Mahal is over 350 micrograms per cubic metre, much above the permissible
standard of 100.The chief reasons are the rapid increase in vehicular movement, lack of water in
Yamuna river and poor afforestation on the western periphery of the city.
Despite crores of rupees spent over the past 15 years, the Yamuna behind the Taj is still dry.
Dry Yamuna could sink Taj Mahal
The beauty of the Taj Mahal is no longer reflected in the Yamuna River
flowing by it, whose sparkling blue waters held a mirror to the Monument
to Love for centuries. Today, the river is nearly dry and filled with sewage,
threatening the foundation of the mausoleum in white marble in Agra. A recent Rs
222.21-crore effort to revive the river has largely been a failure. Conservationists fear a dry Yamuna would weaken the wood-based
foundation of the Taj Mahal, which requires moisture. The finding forms part of a report commissioned by the ministry of
environment and forests to look into the impact of schemes taken up to
improve the air, water and soil quality around the Taj Mahal. (Says -INDIA TODAY, July 02, 2010)
Once at the centre of a huge political furore, the ill-conceived Taj Corridor is now reduced to 80 acres of
wasteland used as a dumping ground for civic garbage with a signboard on the gate reading “Court Property”.
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 2010 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.
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..
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 2010, plans are afoot to make the riverbed a tourist-friendly zone — keeping in mind environmental issues.
A group of students from Delhi University Jamia Millia Islamia and other educational institutes have launched the
campaign 'Walk for Yamuna'. On August 21, 2010, the students planted dozens of
saplings along the bank of the river at Wazirabad in north Delhi. The students initially plan to clean up the banks at three places -
Wazirabad, Kudusia and Nizamuddin - and later all the places in the city
the river passes by before the Oct 3-14 Games, said Manas, president of
the group Mantra. He goes by only one name.
Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna is a project for making a difference to our city of
Delhi-NCR. What started as an initiative of The Art of Living, has now become a full blown citizen’s action plan. Dozens of civil society groups have already
joined the movement and many companies including Microsoft, Educomp and Kent RO have become partners. The UNESCO, World Bank, JICA (Japan International
Cooperation Agency) etc. among many others are already on board the campaign and more and more people and groups are joining every day.
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