Delhi's Yamuna Is Dirty Again, Thanks To Toxic Frothing Due To Detergents In Untapped Sewage
A thick layer of toxic foam with a peculiar and pungent smell has covered Yamuna river in Delhi. The visuals of the slightly-tinted yellow froth that made its way back to social media on November 1 has now gone viral, with experts citing detergents as one of the major reasons behind the pollution.
The floating froth on the surface of the river is said to be a result of detergents containing high phosphate content. These detergents, reaching the river through untapped drains, are used in dyeing industries, dhobi ghats and households.?
An official of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that majority of the detergents in the country don't have a certification by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), which has capped the concentration of phosphates in the chemical substance.?
Here's a video of the river from Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area, as of today:
?ˇ°A large number of unbranded detergents are also used in households and dyeing industries. The wastewater containing high phosphate content reach the river through untapped drains,ˇ± he said.
What causes the froth
These detergents and other organic matter get deposited in the riverbed when the river is flowing normally. When more water is released upstream, it falls from a height on reaching the Okhla Barrage, leading to turbulence and churning which causes froth.
The solution is that every household is connected to the sewer network and treatment of the wastewater, he said.
ˇ°If 100 per cent of the wastewater is treated, there will be no such problem at all. The capacities of STPs (sewage treatment plants) are underutilised and the standards are not met,ˇ± the CPCB official said.
Another reason, but not a major one, for the frothing is the release of certain gases when a specific kind of bacteria become active in anaerobic conditionsˇŞwhen there is no or little oxygen is available.?
Yamuna and the pollution
Yamuna's pollution level is so bad that parts of it have been labelled 'dead' as there is no oxygen in it for marine life to survive. The river, which plays an important role in many religious ceremonies performed by Hindus, is home to the city's industrial waste and residential waste where people even wash their clothes and utensils on a regular basis.?
The worst part is that the situation only gets triggered with the poor air quality that envelops the city with smog post Diwali.
