The Yamuna is the largest tributary riverof the Ganges in northern India.

The source of Yamuna lies in the Yamunotri Glacier at a height 6,387 metres, It crosses several states, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi, with the dependency of around 57 million people on its water. It has a great significance in hindu mythology .Yamuna, referred respectfully as Yamunaji, holds a very important position in Pushti Marga, a sect of Hinduism based on the ShuddhAdvaita, where Shri Krsna is the main deity, propagated by VallabhAcharya / MahaPrabhuji, and having a large following in India. The river Yamuna is also connected to the religious beliefs surrounding Krishna and various stories connected with Him are found in Hindu religious texts. Yamuna is considered more pious than Ganga because it was here that Krishna played and swam. One who takes bath in the river Yamuna is freed from all past sins and contamination of this material world. That person will also gradually become a pure devotee and achieve liberation Uses of its water 1. The large urban centres located on river banks and where suitable ground water is not available, water is abstracted for drinking water supplies after suitable treatment 2.Irrigation is an important use of Yamuna river water

In 1909 the waters of the Yamuna were distinguishable as "clear blue", as compared to the silt-laden yellow of the Ganges.[26] However, due to high density population growth and rapid industrialization today Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Today this majestic river is polluted with domestic waste, silt, and industrial waste. The 22-km stretch between Wazirabad and the Okhla barrage in Delhi is only 2% of the catchment area, but it contributes about 80% of the river's total pollution load. The Hindon Canal also discharges waste from Uttar Pradesh in this stretch. Among the many casualties are birds and fish. There was a time when bird watchers had identified as many as 30 species of birds near the Yamuna, many of them exotic, such as the red-crested pochard and the godwit.
Page 1/6

Main causes of pollution The entire Yamuna River right from its origin to confluence with the Ganga & its tributaries are subject to human activities, which directly or indirectly affect the water quality. There are many sources of pollution in the river 1. households and municipal disposal sites 2. soil erosion resulting from deforestation occurring to make way for agriculture along with resulting chemical wash-off from fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides 3. run-off from commercial activity and industrial sites. 4. Bathing and clothes washing 5. Cattle wading and Open defaecation Efforts made by govenment In recent years the river has become grossly polluted due to various causes affecting human health and bio-diversity of the eco-system To arrest river pollution, certain measures of cleaning river have been taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Government of India The monitoring of Yamuna River alongwith major wastewater outfall is being carried out with following objectives: 1. To assess pollution loads in terms of important pollutants, joining the river by regularly monitoring major drains on monthly basis. 2. To assess micro-pollutants load in the river water and sediment at critical stretch of Yamuna river through monthly (heavy metals measured in river water) and seasonal monitoring.

Yamuna Action Plan

Page 2/6

was conceived in early 1990s. Objective of Yamuna Action Plan: To stop drains from dumping wastewater into the 1375-km-long-river and to intercept and divert sewage.Financial assistance: in 1993, loan from the Japanese Government through Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) v Project duration: July 2000 March 2003

(image)

Other Plans to Control Pollution in Yamuna

A. Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) The Delhi government promised to set up 15 CETPs five years back, only 2 have been commissioned so far. B. Anaerobic Sludge-Blanket Reactor As an immediate measure to stop pollution in the river this state of the art machine will be used simultaneously with CETPs. These reactors aresuccessfully operational in Germany, Columbia, Norway and the Netherlands, checking the contamination. C. Dredge utility crafts (DUC) The Delhi Government spent Rs 26 lakh on the DUCs that are best suited to move the silt in the bed. Each DUC is capable of taking out 180 cum of silt in 6 hours. The silt brought out will be recycled as manure for cultivationpurposes. D. Clearing Of Yamuna Slums The Delhi High Court directed the concerned authorities (DDA, MCD, PWD, DJB, and Central Government) to remove all illegal, unauthorized constructions, including places of worship on Yamuna bed and its

Page 3/6

embankment within 2 months from March 2003. The never-ending drama of illegal encroachment needs to be stopped. E. Clean Yamuna Drive Announced by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, volunteers help clean up the riverbed. MCD participates by helping dump the dirt to the Bhalswa dumping ground. F. National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) The NRCP covers 157 towns and 31 stretches of polluted rivers in 18 States. Approved cost of the project Rs 4064 crores, of which the Centres share is 3464 crore. 763 projects worth Rs 2640 crores have been sanctioned under the plan, of which 338 have been completed.Objective: to maintain the quality of the water of the major rivers through the implementation of various pollution abatement schemes.The rivercleansing programme was started with the Ganga Action Plan(GAP) in 1985 to GAP-II in 1995 before being merged into the NRCP in 1996.Governing Body: National River Conservation Authority (NRCA)Target: to clean all major rivers by 2007 and others by 2012. Budget: Rs 1417 crores approved under the Tenth Plan to be revised to Rs 1825 crore later.

Priyanka Chopra campaigns for clean Yamuna

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra today cleaned the Yamuna river here in a symbolic gesture as part of an initiative to create awareness for environmental issues Wearing oversized sunglasses and a white kurti, the 29-year-old star picked up a mason's fork and cleaned the floating rubbish from the bank of the Yamuna at the Dussehra ghat, with the iconic Taj Mahal in the backdrop.

Page 4/6

The event kickstarted the fourth NDTV Greenathon campaign, of which Priyanka is the brand ambassador. "This time we began our campaign from Agra because tourist inflow is maximum here. Taj Mahal is on the bank of river Yamuna, which has become a dumping zone of waste materials now. If we do not protect our environment our future will be dark," Priyanka said. Model-actor Milind Soman and Abhishek Mishra, Minister of State for Protocol, UP, alongwith local environmental organizations and school children joined her in the effort. The whole exercise took about an hour. Earlier, the actress spent about an hour visiting the Taj Mahal. Launched in April 2008, the NDTV-Toyota Green campaign is aimed at creating awareness about environmental issues. As part of this year's drive Soman will run from Delhi to Mumbai, starting on April 19 and ending in Mumbai on May 20, when Greenathon 4 will have its gala annual fund raising telethon.

Yamuna Mathura-Agra Conference 2009

Sponsored by: Yamuna Foundation for Blue Water, (http://www.rowfoundation.org/row/) Rivers of the World Foundation (http://www.rowfoundation.org )

Techknow Environmental & Sustainable Solutions Pvt., Ltd. Delhi,, India( http://www.techknow-eng.com/ )

Location:

Goverdhan Hotel, Opp. Delhi Gate Agra, U.P. 282002; Ph: 0562 4000867,

Page 5/6

Date/Time:

Sunday, January 4, 2009/ 3:00 7:00 PM

Purpose and Objective:

The primary Objective of this conference is to develop plans to control the discharges to the Yamuna such that The quality of water that flows through the Yamuna River prior to entering Agra area must be the same or better when it leaves the Agra area . The purpose of the proposed conference is to explore possible ways to clean up the drains discharging to the Yamuna River near Agra and causing massive pollution to the River. This will also provide a forum for the locales, Municipalities, Government organizations, and NGOs to come forward with their ideas and views on what they can possibly do to accomplish that.

Background: This conference is planned as a forum for NGOs, Governmental Agencies, State, Local, Central, other Stakeholders/concerned Citizens, and above all the direct users of Yamuna Water to voice their views and step forward to join hands in this massive effort. The remedial technology options befitting the local conditions of the stretches of Yamuna river close to Agra, Mathura, and Vrindaban will be the focal point of discussion amongst participants involved in this discussion/forum. All of the participants are expected to take an active role and come forward in a cohesive manner to review and share their experience on the various efforts that they have undertaken so far and their lessons learnt. This will also be a forum for the State, Local, or Central Governmental Agencies to discuss any of their current or impending actions involving the water quality protection of rivers and streams. The main objective of this conference is to yield a plan identifying viable remedial options and strategies for the Yamuna river and to draw a parallel for any other Rivers in India or the World. Based on the feasibility of various remediation options it is hoped that the Conference will generate valuable feeds and fresh inputs into the Yamuna cleanup effort. The outcome of the conference is expected to have conspicuous options, which should lead us to expeditious implementation steps. The strategies budding out of this conference should lead us to a shortand long-term cleanup plan. Efforts will be made to resort to a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down one to help this highly polluted river, which is the major life-supporting artery of Agra, Mathura, Vrindaban and many other cities in India. We invite you to participate in the conference and to join hands in developing a viable and multifaceted plan involving cleanup, awareness, education, and improved watershed management that will turn the waters of this great and holy rivers blue someday.

Page 6/6