India is one of the most religious countries in the world, where even rivers hold a lot of religious significance. Millions of people visit the famous rivers and attain salvation. Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Kaveri and Godavari are some of the most famous rivers in India. People keep polluting the rivers, despite their religious significance.
Dumping waste, washing clothes, open sewage drain, soil erosion, lack of adequate sewage treatment plant, and disposing industrial waste increase the pollution to dangerous levels. The worst part is, these rivers also supply drinking water to many cities in India. More than half of the rivers in India are highly polluted. The increasing pollution in rivers causes serious water-borne diseases and health issues. Taking the discussion forward, we list the top 3 most polluted rivers in India.
Table of Contents
Yamuna
Yamuna tops the list of the most polluted rivers in India, and is also one of the top 10 dirtiest rivers in the world. Drains carrying industrial and domestic wastes pollute the river to a dangerous level. The river, which once had clear blue water, is facing dangerous levels of pollution today. New Delhi is the major reason behind the worst condition of the river. The capital produces 1900 million liters of sewage per day and also dumps 58% of the sewage in Yamuna.
According to health experts, the drinking water in Delhi leads to a number of water-borne diseases. Almost 70% of the water across New Delhi by the DJB (Delhi Jal Board) failed the purity test conducted by the Municipal Corporation.
The increasing contaminants cause many harmful diseases such as malaria, cholera and tuberculosis. The extreme pollution level in Yamuna makes it impossible to clean the river from the pollutants. The water is not only unsafe for consumption but also provides no scope for sustaining aquatic life.
Read More: A General Note on Water Contamination
Ganga
The second on the list of the most polluted rivers in India is Ganga. For millions people in India and around the world, Ganga is not only a river but a Goddess. However, the pollution levels are increasing to very high levels. The river contains toxins, bacteria and other dangerous chemicals at an alarming rate. The level of pollution in river Ganga is 3,000 times higher than the permissible limits of WHO.
River Ganga is of great importance as it effects the life of many people. The river is of mythological importance as people believe that the river cleans the sins of people. Unfortunately, even after its mythological importance, the holy river is 2nd in the list of most polluted rivers in India
On a daily basis, people dump approximately 1 billion liters of raw untreated sewage in river Ganga which lead to a number of water borne diseases. The level of contamination increased in the last 20 years and experts predict that the pollution level will witness a 100% increase in the next 20 years.
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Sabarmati River
One of the largest rivers in Gujrat, Sabarmati flows through two major cities Ahmedabad and Gandhi Nagar. According to a report of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Sabarmati River in Gujrat is the third most polluted river in India.
Sabarmati has the highest volume of fecal coliform bacteria. The river has 2.8 million MPN (most probable number) of fecal coliform in every 100 ml of water. The perennial waste discharges mainly from municipal drainage and industries pollute the river to unexpected levels.
Last Few Words
Rivers are the source life for many people. However, people are destroying the natural water resources by dumping excessive garbage. Some rivers are even on the edge of extinction, thanks to the dangerous levels of pollution. The main causes of river pollution are dumping of human waste and industrial effluents in the rivers. The human and industrial waste are making the water useless for agricultural and human needs and drinking purpose. Considering the alarming situation, it is high time to take the relevant steps to stop polluting the rivers and clean them for a better future.
You should read: Five Reasons To Own A Water Purifier
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