Question

Yamuna and Ganga are few of the most polluted rivers of India.Find out various causes for this.What steps have been taken by government/NGO to protect these rivers from further pollution pollution.Suggest methods which could reduce/prevent pollution of these rivers.

Answer 1

Dear Student,

Causes

• Sewage- This contains waste water from our household and other domestic waste dumped into water bodies.
• Industrial waste- This includes wastes discharged from factories, refineries into the water bodies. These wastes contains harmful chemicals such as alkalis, acids etc. and toxic metals like mercury, arsenic, etc., which kills the aquatic life.
• Oil spills- Oils released from oil drums which are accidentally discharged from ships into the water bodies.
• Agricultural run off- This is the waste water released from agricultural field which contains pesticides and fertilizers that affects the aquatic life.

Pollution of rivers can be prevented in many ways and some of them are as follows:

• not discharging untreated sewage and other industrial waste water into rivers
• not dumping solid wastes, garbage and medical wastes in river banks
• not using river banks as open toilets
• not disposing dead human bodies/animal carcasses in rivers
• not quarrying sand in river beds which is a key factor in river bank stability and erosion of banks
• not washing vehicles directly in the flowing river water
• and in many other ways according to the life style of local people

On 14 January 1986, the former prime minister of India, Rajeev Gandhi launched a programme named the Ganga action plan in order to reduce the pollution of the River Ganga. The main objective or need of this plan was as follows:

• To improve the water quality of the river Ganga.
• Treatment of the domestic sewage, industrial waste, toxic chemicals and harmful pollutants discharged into the river.
• Control of pollution such as waste from agricultural, human defecation, throwing of unburnt and half burnt bodies into the river.
• Rehabilitation of soft shelled turtles which may be used for the purpose of pollution abatement of the river.

Regards