Investigation on rivers Ganga

and Yamuna

Ganga River:-
1) Pollution level:-
State-wise & Priority wise number of Polluted
Stretches on River Ganga  (CPCB report, 2018)
STATE STRETCH IDENTIFIE

UTTARAKHAND  HARIDWAR TO SULTANPUR

UTTAR PRADESH  KANNAUJ TO VARANASI

BIHAR  BUXAR TO BHAGALPUR

WEST BENGAL  TRIBENI TO DIAMOND HARBOU

 As per median data of 2021 (January to May), no
stretches fall in higher pollution level (priority I to
IV) and there are only two stretches (Kannauj to
Varanasi and Triveni to Diamond Harbour) under
pollution priority V. Priority V is the least polluted
criteria designed by CPCB.

2) River water quality of 2018, 2019 and

2020 of River Ganga:-
Parameters

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l) Faecal coliform

(MPN/100 ml)

(Criteria ≥5.0 mg/l) (Criteria ≤2500

2018 2019 2020 2018

HARIDWAR D/S 9.1 9.0 9

3) Aquatic life of River Ganga:-

As the remnants of the eastern edge of the Tethys

Sea, the Ganga Basin is home to a wide variety of
relic, rare and threatened species. These include
the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), three
 species of otters viz. the Smooth-coated otter
(Lutrogale perspicillata), Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra)
and the Small clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), the
Critically Endangered Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus),
Mugger or Indian marsh crocodile (Crocodylus
palustris), Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
and at least 12 species of freshwater turtles,
including the Critically Endangered Batagur
kachuga. Within the Ganga River system, 143
different freshwater fish species, belonging to 11
orders, 32 families and 72 genera have been
reported including the Critically Endangered
Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus), Gangetic
stingray (Himantura fluviatilis), Golden mahseer
(Tor putitora) and Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha).

Yamuna River:-

1) Pollution level:-

Identified Polluted River Stretches on river Yamuna

STATE

DELHI
HARYANA

UTTAR PRADESH

2) Water Quality of river Yamuna:-

River water quality of 2021 (January-May) of River

Ganga
Station code Station name

(C

PRAYAGRAJ (RASOOLABAD)

U/S VARANASI  (ASSIGHAT)

VARANASI D/S (MALVIYA BRIDGE)

DARBHANGA GHAT ( PATNA)

GULBI GHAT (PATNA)

PATNA D/S (GANGA BRIDGE)

3) Aquatic life of river Yamuna:-

It is not that the Yamuna River has no aquatic life

at all. Upstream from Wazirabad, before the river
enters Delhi, it is home to turtles, different species
of fish, crocodiles and an abundance of aquatic
plants and phytoplankton. But as it enters Delhi,
the river starts to die. Besides different species of
fish, crocodiles, turtles and mugger crocodiles,
even fresh water Gangetic Dolphins can be found
in some stretches of the river near Hamirpur, in
Uttar Pradesh.
“The high degree of pollution in the Yamuna in
Delhi is not favourable for aquatic animals. Fresh
water during the monsoon may dilute some of the
river’s pollutants, but that will not have any
sustainable effect on aquatic life,” Baliga said,
adding that river-bed construction and human
interference are equally responsible for the
ecological imbalance in the river.