First: What’s happening now

In what has become an annual ritual around Diwali, images and videos of people dunking themselves in a foam-covered Yamuna to mark Chhath puja went viral. AAP-governed Delhi blamed BJP-led Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for the sad state of affairs. The BJP in turn pointed its finger at the Delhi government—accusing it of banning puja celebrations to hide the extent of pollution. 

The Delhi government made frantic efforts to dissipate the froth—to allow worshippers to take a foam-free dip—as opposed to taking steps to actually cleaning the river. For example, by spraying fresh water on the surface:

Next, putting up barricades:

And finally, deploying 15 speedboats with ropes to skim off the foam:

Foolish and dangerous: All these efforts at ‘image management’ disguise the fact that bathing in the Yamuna is a great health hazard. A July report showed that the level of fecal coliform—microbes from human and animal excreta—in the river was as high as 1,40,000 microbes per 100 ml of water. That’s 280 times the recommended level of 500 per 100 ml or less. Strange data point to note: Back in 2011, the fecal coliform levels were 1.1 billion per 100 ml—and the river certainly isn’t any cleaner today. 

In any case, as a leading expert makes it clear: “Almost no stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi is safe for bathing. Water with such high levels of fecal coliform can lead to skin infection on external contact and water borne diseases if ingested.”

Big point to note: The Yamuna in Delhi is an “ecologically dead river.” It is so dirty there haven’t been any fish or freshwater birds for years. 

Why is the Yamuna filthy?

Short answer: Delhi. Only 2% of the Yamuna—22 km of its length—flows through the capital, but it contributes around 76% of the river’s total pollution load. The city dumps about 58% of its waste into the river via eighteen major drains within this stretch. 

A running water shortage: There isn’t enough water in the Yamuna to handle the sheer load of pollution. Huge amounts of water are diverted to irrigate farmlands upstream—before it enters Delhi. And once in the city, millions of gallons are siphoned off for drinking water. As one environmentalist puts it: “A river that does not flow is no river." The river is fed not by fresh water—but waste water.

Point to note: A 1996 Down To Earth report notes that the Yamuna was once fed by multiple streams from hills surrounding Delhi. Almost all of these were cut off, built over or turned into drains carrying sewage instead.

Sewage dump: To put it bluntly, Delhi doesn’t have the capacity to treat its waste. The city generates 3,273 million litres per day, but the sewage treatment plants can only handle 2,715 million litres. As a result, 941 million litres of untreated sewage is dumped in the river each day. And even the treatment plants don’t really help since they are frequently not operational due to power failures, mechanical problems or maintenance issues.

Household waste water: is directly connected to the formation of foam each year. According to a 2020 report, 90% of domestic waste water in Delhi flows into the Yamuna—and has a high content of detergent and laundry chemicals. This in turn spikes the level of phosphate compounds in the water. And here’s the irony: during festivals like Chhath—to dilute the pollution levels—water is released from barrages in places like Okhla etc. That water falls from a great height and churns up the phosphates lying in the river bed—and voila, toxic foam!

Industrial pollution: There are 24 industrial areas in the city of which 17 are connected to 13 common effluent treatment plants—which are supposed to treat industrial wastewater before it can be reused or discharged into the Yamuna. All 13 are “non compliant”—and that’s according to the Jal Shakti Ministry. Earlier this year, Delhi authorities slapped a Rs 12 crore fine on 12 of these plants for repeated violations. One of the key polluters are illegal denim dyeing units which release ammonia and phosphates—without any treatment plants.

Point to note: Environmentalists point out that rivers can handle organic waste, but chemicals are lethal to their ecosystem:

“If there is organic waste, the river has the capacity to clean itself...But this is not possible with chemical pollution. The dyes cannot be washed away and do not break down naturally causing harm to aquatic life and humans.”

The bottomline: Since 1994, there has been lots of activity aimed at cleaning the Yamuna. Supreme Court judgements have been passed, committees formed, and big plans announced—and yet not one whit of progress has been made. Remember that old truism: ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. Well, the opposite holds true as well.

Reading list

News18 and Indian Express offer explainers on why we see froth at this time of the year—with lots of numbers but also jargon. The Hindu sums up decades of government inaction—despite Supreme Court intervention. New Indian Express offers a more recent chronology of failed promises. This older NPR piece offers a good overview on the problem of Yamuna’s pollution. This 1996 Down To Earth report is truly eye-opening—as it reveals the roots of rampant development that created the Delhi we know today, and killed the Yamuna in the process.