RIVER YAMUNA

The river Yamuna, the largest tributary of river Ganga has been one of the most prominent and sacred rivers of India through the ages. Yamuna, according to the legends, was the daughter of Surya, the Sun God and sister to Yama, the God of Death. Consequently, popular belief is that those who take a dip in its holy water are not tormented by fears of death. Yamunotri, which is the north of Haridwar in the Himalayan Mountains, is the source of the Yamuna.

The river Yamuna, a major tributary of river Ganges, originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Banderpoonch peaks (38°59' N, 78°27' E) in the Mussourie range of the lower Himalayas at an elevation of about 6387 m above mean sea level in district Uttarkashi (Uttranchal). The catchment of Yamuna river system covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi.

The entire Yamuna river right from its origin to confluence with the Ganga and its tributaries are subject to human activities, which directly or indirectly affect the water quality5. NCT — Delhi, located at a latitude of 28°34'N and longitude of 77°07'E, is facing the challenges of sanitation and environmental degradation due to increasing population and urbanization. Delhi alone contributes around 3 296 MLD/day of sewage by virtue of drains outfalling in Yamuna Delhi segment flow (22 km length).

This is more than that of all the class II cities of India put together. Despite the smallest percentage of catchment area in Yamuna, only 0.4% of total catchment area, Delhi is the largest contributor of pollution to the river2,9 kms long.