Stop filth from flowing into Yamuna

Experts say focus should be on preventing untreated sewage from entering river

Why talk about cleaning the water bodies when we can’t stop polluting them, ask environmental activists.

At a time when water pollution levels are on the rise in the city, the government has not been effectively able to nail the culprits behind those ruining the water bodies. Moreover, the unchecked contaminants are alarmingly entering into the food chain and causing life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

“Water pollution  is related to untreated sewage flowing in the drains as well as polluted water in the Yamuna. The Yamuna is one of the most polluted stretches of any river in the country,” says Manoj Mishra, convenor, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.

“The problem is both domestic sewage and industrial pollution. Also the fact that the Yamuna river in Delhi has no dilution flow in it is the reason for such a bad state. Lack of natural flow is a key factor for the polluted state of Yamuna,” Mishra adds.

The pollution of water occurs from two major sources – raw sewage and industrial effluents entering water bodies.

While sewage carries pathogens which cause water-borne ailments, industrial pollutants include heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium and nickle which can lead to diseases like cancer, according to doctors.

“The incidence of such diseases is increasing. The trend is alarming as we are getting these patients in non rainy seasons also. They used to be more common in rainy season,” says Dr D S Chadha, Associate Director, Internal Medicine, Fortis Flt Lt Rajan Dhall Hospital.

The diseases caused are dysentery, typhoid fever, jaundice, worm infestations like ascariasis/ round worm infestations. The unchecked sale of vegetables grown on the banks of the polluted Yamuna and major drains like Najafgarh are also adding to the daily dose of toxins which are entering the food chain.

“Even the vegetables coming from neighbouring towns like Ghaziabad and Faridabad – where farmers rely on polluted rivers for irrigation add to the water pollution related complications for Delhiites,” says Dr Chandra Bhushan, a physician.

“The drinking water that most Delhites get had been found to be contaminated with sewage water and could be harmful to health. A shocking 81 out of 116 samples of such water – it translates to almost 70 per cent – supplied across the Capital by the DJB have failed a purity test conducted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2012,” says Dr Chadha.

Diseases like malaria and dengue, spread by mosquitoes which grow on stagnant water, are also on the rise. According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, 45 per cent of city sewage in unauthorised colonies is still untapped and is directly going to the Yamuna through drains.

No fresh water
Moreover, the natural ecological flow of the river is affected as there is no fresh water available for dilution in Yamuna. the entire fresh water from Wazirabad is being used to meet the drinking water needs of Delhiites. Consequently, the water quality of river Yamuna at the downstream of Wazirabad barrage after confluence of Najafgarh Dam does not meet the prescribed norms.

The total waste generation of Delhi is around 700 million gallons per day, out of which more than 80 per cent is from domestic usage followed by industrial wastewater. However, the current sewage treatment capacity is only 60 per cent.

“Curbing contamination of water continues to be a major challenge. Polluting of water is common while it is being transported to the households through broken pipes. This is a technical problem and can be easily fixed by the Delhi Jal Board. But because of corruption in these departments, work remains pending,” says Depinder Kapur, Citizen Forum, Right to Water and Sanitation.

One solution to improve the quality of water at the local level is to install decentralised sewerage treatment plants in each colony.“Instead of massive sewerage treatment plant, we need several decentralised plants, one for each colony. This will be a more viable solution to clamp down on water contamination,” says Kapur.

Most areas in Delhi apart from Mehrauli, Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj have poor quality water, he points out.

While groundwater depletion is on the rise with rampant illegal use of groundwater, surface water like rivers, ponds are also getting polluted with encroachment and untreated sewage being disposed into it, points out a researcher with the Centre for Science and Environment.

There is an urgent need to sensitise the public on the need to achieve high standards of water sanitation so that diseases like diarrhoea and cholera can be curbed, says the researcher. Removing encroachments form the Yamuna was one of the long-term solutions recommended by the high power committee formed to check water pollution in the city.

But before the policymakers take initiatives to clean the water bodies, the first step should be to ensure that water bodies are not polluted further , says Gopal Krishna, convenor, Toxic Watch Alliance.

“The mouths of the drains leading to the Yamuna should be closed first. The government still has not been able to achieve this with domestic and industrial waste still draining into the Yamuna.”

The other important point missed by policymakers, he says, is the need to strike a balance between quality and quantity check of the water level.

“Water quality and quantity are interlinked. The lack of understanding among policymakers has led to contradictory projects,” says Krishna.

A high power committee on water pollution set up in 2014 has recommended both long-term and short-term solutions to curb water pollution in the city.

The short-term solutions include treatment of sewage, dumping of solid waste into drains, utilisation of treated wastewater, efficient water fixtures, sewer connection, adoption of public awareness campaign, formulation of sanitation by-laws and adoption of rainwater harvesting.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Jal Board and the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DSIIDC) have a task to achieve 100 per cent treatment of sewage and industrial effluents within three years to ensure that no untreated sewage enters the Yamuna.