BEAUTY OF INDIA

Yamuna river is one of the important all-weather rivers ofIndia originating from Himalayas. In India rivers are seen with great respect and draw ethical values. Regular faresand community baths are organised on important occasions on the riverbanks. The river Yamuna covers345,850 sq km of area while traversing from Himalayas to the plains of Uttar Pradesh at Allahabad and there it loses its identity. It serves as lifeline to the people while flowing through its path. It provides drinking water, irrigation to a vast area and helps in generating electric power. However rapid industrialization, deforestation and urbanization led to large discharge of industrial waste andsewage system to this, otherwise clean river. This has resulted in condition when water has become unfit fordrinking. It is not safe for even animals, birds, fishes etc. The level of total coliform is twice the permissible limit at the time when Yamuna enters Delhi, becomes 25 times till it leaves Delhi. This all happens in a short span oftraversing 21 km of so called ‘Delhi segment’.With the awareness created recently, steps are being taken to plant trees along the catchment area to prevent flow of loose soil to river. Initiatives have also been taken to control flow of untreated industrial waste and raw sewage to the river. Introduction India is herited with plenty of all weather rivers. These rivers traverse most part of country. Most of the rivers are seen with interest by beneficiary population of India and thus have a great mythological significance. A near Goddess status has been given to rivers like Ganga. Yamuna being one of the major tributaries of Ganga also gets same credentials. According to a sacred myth, all sins are washed away by bathing seven times in the Yamuna.Yamuna, more colloquially known as Jamuna, rises fromthe Bundar Poonch glaciers in Uttarkashi, which is also known as Jamunotri. It is joined by Tons river, which is the largest tributary of Yamuna along the border of Himachal Pradesh. When it reaches the North Indian plains it is met with its other tributaries like Chambal,Betwa and Ken. The river covers as many as seven states and it flows almost entirely through Delhi, where it is alsoexploited the most. Such is the Impact of Yamuna and other North Indian rivers that the entire region is regardedas most fertile land in the Indian subcontinent. The total area it covers before merging to majestic Ganga is 345,850 square km. Pollution problem of Yamuna In the past the river used to be the main source of life for drinking water, communication and irrigation. Thusserving as the lifeline for the human kind. The pollutants were limited to storm water drains. But with the post world war II in general and post independence inparticular, India witnessed massive deforestation leading to soil erosion and related problems. Simultaneouslyindustrialization and emphasis of modern living gained momentum. All the major industries are on the bank ofone or the other river. Yamuna outnumbers any other river in the number of industries on its banks. This is because it passes through many major (post independence) industrial cities. But real problem ofYamuna pollution starts when it passes through state of Delhi. Research shows that before it passes through Delhi, the water quality is very much under control (see Fig.1). The stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla barrage in Delhi is only 2% of its catchment area, but itcontributes about 80% of the river’s total pollution load. More than 57 million people depend on the Yamuna River for drinking water, but at least 720 mld (190 mgd)of wastewater entering the river is untreated, according tothe National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD; New Delhi), the federal agency responsible for cleanup efforts in India. Organic pollutants and pathogens inwastewater make up approximately 75% to 80% of the river's pollution load, while most other pollution comes from industrial discharges. About 2000 million litres of sewage is pumped into the river from Delhi every day,and its water is now unfit to support any life. Among thefirst causalities is aquatic flora and fauna, which supportmany birds and mammals, which are involuntarysufferers.