Yamuna water quality improves, as flood waters flush out pollutants

The water quality of the Delhi stretch of the river Yamuna improved in September, as flood waters flush out pollutants, as per the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) monthly report.

The water quality improves almost every year during monsoon, as the extra water dilutes the pollutants, but the improvement does not last long, official data shows.

Despite the improvement in September, the water quality did not meet bathing standards at most of the points along the stretch, where water was tested.

At two of the eight points, the water quality could not be measured as the river was in spate, as per the report. The samples were taken on September 3, when the river was receiving heavy flow due to rainfall in the upper reaches.

August had also witnessed improvement in water quality and September’s parameters at many points along the river are better than August as per the report.

The Delhi stretch of river Yamuna is one of the most polluted river stretches in the country, despite multiple orders by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over the past three decades directing the authorities to clean the river.