What is common between Thames in London, Seine in Paris, Hoogly in Kolkata, Amstel in Amsterdam, and the Yamuna in New Delhi? These are all rivers and are important lifelines for these cities. Rivers have historically been at the centre of civilisations, providing passage for trade, people, and fertile lands to flourish.
But look around you today, most of these grand waterways stink, are full of garbage and have shrivelled up.
The recent floods in Chennai put the spotlight back on the encroachments and rampant pollution in the city’s two main rivers: Adyar and Cooum. According to a report, the Cooum, which was once popular for fishing and boat racing, is now 80 per cent dirtier than treated sewer! You must have heard about the lethal levels of pollutants in the Yamuna, that are causing the discolouring of the Taj Mahal, loss of natural flora and fauna and increasing water-borne diseases. Experts have termed the river ‘dead’.
Ironically, the two holiest rivers in India, the Yamuna and Ganga consistently find themselves on the ‘most polluted rivers in the world’ list. There is even a National Ministry for the rejuvenation of the Ganga.
Many urban rivers around the world are a victim of rampant pollution. Water pollution occurs when toxic substances enter water bodies, contaminating and degrading the quality of water. This has a disruptive effect on the water cycle, the ecosystem and biodiversity and even on the lives of the people living near these water bodies.
Dirty rivers
Think of an image of a polluted river. What do you see?
Dirty water surface full of industrial and human waste!
Water sources such as river, oceans, lakes and so on are called surface waters and the most common type of pollution we see is surface water pollution.
There is another type of pollution which goes unseen as that happens underground in aquifers, which are rock structures that hold large amounts of water. This is known as groundwater and it feeds rivers and forms a large part of our drinking water supply. Groundwater pollution occurs with the contamination of the soil through pesticides and chemicals being drained away.
There are two ways in which pollution can occur: from a single source such as a factory on the banks of the river or an oil spill. This is called point source pollution. However, a majority of the pollution happens due to a combination of sources, and this is called non-point source pollution.
What you can do
Conserve water. Watch where you throw your garbage.
Learn more and raise awareness about this issue.
The 20th anniversary of the International Day of Action for Rivers is in 2017. Let’s plan and organise events or volunteer with a group involved in cleaning up a local water body.
