Yamuna pollution
Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Water Resources"; Class 12, Ch 9 "Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and Problems"
Meaning
Yamuna pollution is the heavy dirtying of the Yamuna. It is worst from Delhi to where the river meets the Chambal, and at Mathura and Agra. A main reason is low flow. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh take a lot of its water for irrigation, so little water is left to dilute (thin out) the waste. Farm run-off brings in micro-pollutants (harmful chemicals in tiny amounts). Delhi adds large amounts of domestic and industrial waste. NCERT names the Yamuna as a highly polluted river.
Example
In Delhi, thick white toxic foam often floats on the Yamuna. It forms from detergents and industrial waste in the city's untreated sewage.
Don't confuse with
- Ganga pollution: the Ganga's worst stretches are downstream of Kanpur and Varanasi and at Farakka. Its main problem is sewage and tannery waste from big cities, not the loss of water to irrigation.