Cleaning the Yamuna

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Delhi has promised to clean up the Yamuna in three years.

- KIRIT S PARIKH

It is a highly ambitious task, and one hopes it succeeds. However, the experience with efforts to clean the Ganga has not been encouraging.

The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1985. In 2009, the Supreme Court asked for a report on the use of funds and assets created under GAP. As a member of the Planning Commission in charge of water, I was asked to prepare the report.

Change in water quality Water quality was reported using three parameters along the river: Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), and Total Coliform Count (TC). Water with DO greater than 6 mg/litre, BOD less than 2 mg/litre, and TC below 50 most probable number (MPN) per 100 ml is considered fit for drinking, while for bathing, DO should be greater than 5, BOD less than 3, and TC less than 500.

In 1986, the DO levels were fit for drinking at all points except Varanasi, and in 2008, they were so at most places. Between 1986 and 2008, the BOD had improved but at many places it was still unfit for bathing and, certainly, not for drinking. The TC had worsened significantly across all sites, with water, except at Rishikesh, unfit for even bathing. At most places, TC levels were more than 10 times the permissible value, and at many locations, they exceeded it by more than 100 times. Even the faecal coliform count in 2008 in all places in Uttar Pradesh was above the permissible of 2,500 (MPN/100 ml) for bathing.