Question

cause of water pollution in the river Yamana or a river of a state

Answer 1

There are several causes of water pollution in India. The main causes are briefly described as under:

1. Urbanisation:

Rapid urbanisation in India during the recent decades has given rise to a number of environmental problems such as water supply, wastewater generation and its collection, treatment and disposal.

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Many towns and cities which came up on the banks of rivers have not given a proper thought to problem of wastewater, severage, etc.

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In urban areas, water is tapped for domestic and industrial use from rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wells, etc. Nearly 80% of the water supplied for domestic use passes out as wastewater. In most cases, this wastewater is let out untreated and causes large scale pollution of the surface water.

A part of it percolates into the ground and contaminates the ground water. Class I cities (cities with population above one lakh) generate as much as 16,662 Mid (Million litres per day) of wastewater. About 70% of the population of class I cities is provided with sewerage facility. The Ganga river basin contributes about one-third of the total wastewater of India.

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As per the latest estimate out of 23 thousand MId of wastewater generated, only six thousand Mid (i.e., about 26%) is treated before letting out, the rest is disposed off untreated. The level of treatment available in cities with existing treatment plant varies from 2.5% to 89% of the sewage generated.

Treated or partly treated or untreated wastewater is disposed into natural drains joining rivers or lakes or used on land for irrigation/fodder cultivation or to the sea or a combination of them by the municipalities. Basin wise wastewater generation and treatment in class I and class II cities are given in Table 9.15.

Municipal water treatment facilities in India, at present, do not remove traces of heavy metals. Given the fact that heavily polluted rivers are the major sources of municipal water for most towns and cities along their courses it is believed that every consumer has been, over the years, exposed to unknown quantities of pollutants in water they have consumed. To add to this, Indian towns and cities have grown in an unplanned manner due to rapid population growth.

Facilities for running water have been provided in many towns and even in some villages during the last couples of decades. This has resulted in the use of flush-latrines and much larger use of water in home for bathing, washing of clothes, utensils etc., generating large quantities of wastewater.

Answer 2

The main cause of water pollution in the river Yamuna or a river of a state is dumping of wastes in those water bodies.

Be it household waste or wastes from industries,all kind of wastes (solid or liquid) is thrown in Yamuna and other rivers which pollutes it.