Over 20 Yamuna sites fail water quality test

A parliamentary panel has said the Yamuna river’s capacity to sustain life have been found to be almost non-existent in the Delhi stretch, noting that 23 out of the 33 monitored sites, including six in the national capital, failed to meet primary water quality standards.

The Yamuna flows through a 40-km stretch in Delhi, entering at Palla from Haryana and exiting at Asgarpur into Uttar Pradesh. The dissolved oxygen levels, which reflect the river’s capacity to sustain life, were found to be almost non-existent in the Delhi stretch, the parliamentary standing committee on water resources said in its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

In its report on the Upper Yamuna River Cleaning Project and river bed management in Delhi, the panel warned that despite the construction and upgrade of sewage treatment plants in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, pollution levels remain alarmingly high. The committee called for a coordinated response from all stakeholders to tackle pollution and restore the river’s health.