Plastic bags, bottles, packaging, old clothes, soiled cardboard boxes, broken terracotta pots… Thousands of rubbish are washed up for miles along the banks of the Yamuna River. Looking at its poor condition, it is hard to believe that it is one of India’s most important and sacred waterways.
When The duty walked on the banks, north of the Indian capital, New Delhi, it was almost impossible to walk without setting foot on a piece of waste. Through the heaps of rubbish, skinny cows chew plastic bottles while dogs sleep on mounds of debris. Apart from stray animals, the places are deserted.
Stretching over 1300 kilometers, the tributary of the famous Ganges has become one of the most polluted rivers in the world.
Jitendra Nagar, professor at the Faculty of Environment of the University of Delhi, accompanies us, eyes on the ground, before stopping abruptly. In front of him is a cluster of fruit and necklaces of orange flowers.
“These remains were left by pilgrims who come here to pray. They offer fruits and vegetables to the gods, but also throw other waste into the river. They think the gods will be happy to receive their waste since the river is a natural place,” explains the professor, dressed in a pale green shirt.
“In a way, it’s not totally their fault, many have no education. My grandparents, who lived in a small village, firmly believed that water is an inexhaustible resource that regenerates itself, that it was technically impossible to pollute a river,” he explains. he nodded disapprovingly.
Normally, huge clumps of toxic foam cover the surface of the river. These whitish masses, whose texture resembles that of clouds seen from above, are due to a large influx of sewage and industrial waste.
When passing the To have to, in October, however, the foam had dissipated due to heavy rains. “You’re not lucky, you could have seen the moss a few weeks ago,” laughs the professor.
Delhi residents generally dare not venture into the polluted waters of the Yamuna except during religious holidays, said Vimlendu Jha, founder of the environmental organization Swechha, one of the largest in New Delhi. Bathing in polluted waters, however, carries many health risks.
“We are talking about highly toxic water. It can lead to skin disorders, digestive problems or even cause cancer. It’s a huge long-term public health problem,” laments the environmentalist, who has spent the past 22 years campaigning for the cleanup and restoration of the waterway.
Compromising the ecology
Every day, more than 3,500 million liters of wastewater are thrown into the Yamuna due to deficiencies in the treatment infrastructure. This wastewater comes mainly from domestic activities, hence the presence of a high content of detergents and chemical products, substances which represent more than 80% of the polluting load of the river.
Industrial facilities also discharge untreated wastewater and pollutants. In 2020, a report by Delhi’s Pollution Control Committee found that pollutant levels in the river dropped significantly during the lockdown associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, during which industrial activities were suspended.
All this pollution comes mainly from the Indian capital, crossed by a 22 kilometer stretch of the Yamuna, which represents less than 2% of the total length of the river, but around 80% of the pollution. In this section of the river, the water is even considered unsuitable for bathing animals. There is virtually no aquatic life.
Another problem: about 70% of Delhi’s water supply comes from the Yamuna and the canals that feed into it. This over-extraction causes water levels in the river to drop, reducing its ability to dilute and transport pollutants.
“The Yamuna is a perfect example of what not to do as a developing country. Due to the acceleration of industrialization, we have compromised our waterways and our ecology,” laments environmentalist Vimlendu Jha.
next generation
Over the past two decades, Vimlendu Jha has seen restoration projects multiply, without success. “There has been an action plan to clean up the Yamuna for 20 years, but practically nothing has changed, because of the way we are tackling the problem. »
“All the ‘clean up’ projects the government has launched focus on post-pollution rather than looking at the two sources of the problem: they should look at how to reduce water pollutants and how to ensure a minimum flow of water. river,” he says.
For Jitendra Nagar, the future of the Yamuna and other rivers in the country will also have to go through a huge effort to educate the population. On the banks, he explains to us that we have, before our eyes, a perfect example of the lack of awareness of the population to the problem of pollution.
He points to the Yamuna Bridge, which spans the river from the village of Wazirabad, east of Delhi. From a distance, you can see a high barrier that surrounds its edges.
“Ten years ago, people threw their waste into the river from the bridge. They even stopped in the car to do it. So the government had to cover it up to stop them,” he explains. Despite everything, Indians continue to find ways to throw their waste into the river and its banks.
For some years now, all undergraduate students at the University of Delhi have had to take a compulsory course in environmental studies. Jitendra Nagar concludes: “Some people are not even aware that the Yamuna is highly polluted. […] The future must go through a generation that will be better educated and that will be sensitive to environmental issues. »
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.