Yamuna River Pollution Crisis: Monitoring Points Reveal Stark Water Quality Issues

The environment ministry reveals that 22 out of 33 Yamuna monitoring locations failed to meet pollution control standards. While all Delhi and Uttar Pradesh sites failed bathing quality standards, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh locations passed. Inadequate sewage treatment contributes significantly to the pollution levels in this vital tributary of the Ganga.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has announced that a troubling 22 out of 33 monitored locations along the Yamuna River fail to comply with Central Pollution Control Board standards for 2024.

According to a presentation to a parliamentary standing committee, all monitored Delhi and Uttar Pradesh sites didn't meet outdoor bathing quality benchmarks. Conversely, all locations in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh met the necessary criteria. In Haryana, three out of six sites passed the tests.

Major sources of Yamuna's contamination include inadequate sewage treatment and untapped drains in Delhi, with only nine out of 22 being tapped. A committee established by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena is tasked with addressing the issue as 791 MLD of sewage remains untreated.

(With inputs from agencies.)