Despite massive investments running into crores of rupees, the two holiest rivers of India don’t seem to get any cleaner – India may well be into the second phase of Ganga and Yamuna Action Plan, but more than half the total waste water discharged into the rivers remained untreated.

According to the latest report of Central Pollution Control Board, a total of 8,250 million litres per day (MLPD) of waste water is generated in the Ganga basin. But treatment facilities are available for only 3,932 mlpd. Thus, more than half the sewage generated in the Ganga Basin is discharged without any treatment, into the country’s holy rivers.

Spread over an area of 861,404 sq kilometers, the Ganga Basin covers the states of Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The 233 towns and cities located in the area are the prime contributors of the sewage discharge into the river. The report reveals that the pollution into the river is not just direct but also through the various tributaries and sub tributaries. Of the 8,250 mlpd, about 4,570 mlpd is discharged into the tributaries and sub tributaries. Another 1,200 mlpd is disposed of on land and low-lying areas.

Sewage is the main cause of pollution of the river. This entire problem is linked with the issue of urbanization. The cities and towns located in the Ganga basin have been growing at a fast rate, but the infrastructure of the area has been unable to match this growth. The rise in the population has been considerable compared to the development of infrastructure. Also, a lot of the sewage load comes from the tributaries. The Yamuna river, which flows into the Ganga, is the most polluted river in the country, points out Central Pollution Control Board additional director R C Trivedi.

The Ganga Action Plan also did not take into account the tremendous urban growth. The Ganga Action Plans that came into effect in 1985 did not envisage the growth in population. The first phase in the plan barely catered for about 850 mlpd of waste water. But even that target was not achieved by the plan. Currently, the sewage treatment capacity of 3,932 mlpd has been created under various schemes. While 1882 mlpd treatment capacity have been created under the Ganga Action Plan, 720 mlpd has been created under Yamuna Action Plan. And about 2330 mlpd capacity has been created by the Delhi Government for restoration of clean water in the Yamuna.

Attempting to bridge this vast gap between waste water generation and treatment facilities / capacity, provision of more treatment facilities has been planned under the Ganga Action Plan Phase II and the National River Action Plan. According to the CPCB report, an additional capacity of about 1,500 mlpd would be created through this much touted plan.

The situation at the Yamuna River Basin has been so bad that the Supreme Court recently has to give its observation that ‘it seemed that the government and its functionaries had failed in their public duty towards the citizens of Capital of India’. Despite all these years, they have not been able to provide even C category water in the Yamuna the SC observed. Echoing the CPCB observations, SC also found that the Yamuna from Wazirabad to Okhla consisting the flood plains, seasonal pools and marshy areas has become one of the most threatened riverine eco-systems of the world. And this is despite a massive Rs 900 crores being pumped into it for sewage treatment plants, common effluent treatment plants and other measures.

A visit to the affected areas in and around Delhi on the river front will show, it is filthier than it was a decade ago – that is when the project to clean up the river was taken up. While Yamuna Action Plan I is over, and YAP II is being implemented, the water looks blacker than before, and resembles the colour of tar. The YAP coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests had to not only improve the quality of water along the 22 kilometres stretch of Delhi but also in the adjoining areas of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In Delhi as well as the adjoining areas, all unwarranted habits — encroachments, dumping of garbage, puja materials, industrial effluents – have contributed to making this river a cesspool.

While the bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) level should not be more than 3 mg per litre, it has gone up to 18 mg, while dissolved oxygen level has come down to an alarming zero, the ideal level being 5 mg per litre. While there is no flow of water into the river, the huge quantity of untreated sewage flowing into the river continues unabated. There are about 19 drains running into the river. Sewage treatment management needs to be run effectively to stop further deterioration of the situation. Even as Delhi, with a population of over 13 million, produces abut 750 million gallons per day of waste water which flows directly into the river in the form of biodegradable matter like flowers, coconuts, bananas, the river is also recipient of plastics, silver paper tinsel and plastic bags or bottles – the last item being the most common and difficult to tackle.

Sewage treatment is a costly affair – it costs about Rs 50 lakhs to treat a million litres per day of sewage. There are 17 sewage treatment plants of which three are non functional (April 05 figures). Plus, some 62,000 slums on the Yamuna banks need to be relocated, out of which only 11,000 have been relocated so far. The lack of flow of water is also a major problem as a large chunk of the water is diverted by Haryana, before it enters Delhi. People’s needs are more important is the argument given by that state government. That argument opens another can of worms and forms the basis of another set of political complications and inter-state relations.