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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
OF CURRENT RESEARCH
International Journal of Current Research
Vol. 7, Issue, 09, pp.19956-19963, September, 2015

ISSN: 0975-833X RESEARCH ARTICLE

ASSESSMENT AND IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS ON RIVER YAMUNA ECOSYSTEM

*,1Raj Laxmi, 1Sandeep Arya, 2Aisha Sultana and 3Sanjay Das

1Institute of Environment and Development Studies, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, UP
UP-284128
2Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, School of Environmental Studies,
Delhi University, New Delhi-110007
Delhi
3University School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,

New Delhi- 110078

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article History: The water of river Yamuna caters to diverse needs for the survival of the people. With rapid
Received 05th June, 2015 expansion of industrialization and urbanization the quality of the river is severely affected due to
Received in revised form indiscriminate discharge of untreated industrial sludge and so some extent to mixing of domestic
21st July, 2015 wastewater with free flowing obnoxious effluents containing multi multi-level heavy metals, pesticides
Accepted 07th August, 2015 residue, disinfectants and their byproducts contaminants from the drains into the river which are badly
Published online 16th September, 2015 affecting river’s overall
overall ecology. Due to the absence of proper disposal facilities for effluents which
directly disposed off onto surrounding land, surface water and even groundwater along the bank of
Key words: river Yamuna through drains without recommended treatment. As a result of thi this, hazardous
Yamuna,
chemicals and metal ions will seep into the groundwater and devastate the water quality across huge
Heavy Metals Toxicity, areas, and finally leads to serious effects on the health, and the harvest, of the river Yamuna. Hence,
Water quality, the broad concept of healthy river Yamuna
Yamuna ecosystem and lack of proper management needs the
Biodiversity, research work to assess the concentration level of industrial effluents, distribution and enrichment of
River ecology. contaminated heavy metals which shows their bio-toxic
bio toxic impacts on biodiversity and also highlighted
the deterioration of water quality of river Yamuna.
Copyright © 2015 Raj Laxmi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Citation: Raj Laxmi, Sandeep Arya, Aisha Sultana and Sanjay Das,
Das 2015. “Assessment
Assessment and impact of industrial effluents on river Yamuna
ecosystem”, International Journal of Current Research,
Research 7, (9), 19956-19963.

INTRODUCTION Salient features of river yamuna

Yamuna, sometimes called Jamuna, is the major tributary of
Several major tributaries
taries join river Yamuna in the Gangetic
river Ganges (Ganga) in northern India, which originates from
plain. The important and major tributaries of the river Yamuna
Yamunotri glacier (Christopher et al., 2012) near
are Hindon, Chambal, Sindh, Betwa and Ken. The total
Banderpoonch peaks in Himalayas. It is the sacred river of
catchment basin of the river Yamuna is 42.5% of the Ganga
India which travels a totall length of 1,376. The total basin area
basin and 10.7% of the total geographical landmass of the
of the river is 366223 km2 which covers part of geographical
country (Central
Central Water Commission, 20072007). Out of the total
area in the states of crosses several states such as Himachal
catchment’s area of 861404 sq km of the Ganga basin, the
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya
Yamuna River and its catchment together contribute to a total
Pradesh, Haryana and NCT-Delhi Delhi (CPCB, 2006). On the
of 345848 sq. km area which 40.14% of total Ganga River
grounds of different geological and ecological characteristic,
Basin (Tripathi and Gautam, 2013).
the river Yamuna has five segments – Himalayan Segment,
Upper Segment, Delhi Segment, Eutriphicated segment, and
Biodiversity of river Yamuna and their importance
Diluted segment (Ali and Jain, 2001). The emission of
unprocessed domestic and industrial wastes has badly
India is rich in biodiversity as evident that the country is
deteriorated the quality of Yamuna in all the segments (Figure
included in the list of 12 Mega--diversity nations. Country has a
1) except Himalayan segment which maintain river quality
7% of the world’s biodiversity and supports 16 major
standards (Sharma and Chhabra, 2015).
vegetation types.
*Corresponding author: Raj Laxmi,
Institute of Environment and Development Studies, Bundelkhand University,
Jhansi, UP-284128
19957 Raj Laxmi et al. Assessment and impact of industrial effluents on river Yamuna ecosystem

Figure 1. River Yamuna Basin (Source: Mishra, 2010)

Table 1. State wise land use pattern of river Yamuna catchment area

State Area (sq km) Area (% of total Land Use Pattern Land actually Land under
Catchment) Non-Arable Forest Cultivable cultivated (%) habitational use (%)
Land (%) Land (%) Land (%)
Himachal Pradesh 5799 1.6 25.0 59.4 15.6 14.2 1.5
Haryana 21265 6.1 18.1 2.4 79.5 59.9 3.6
NCT-Delhi 1485 0.4 51.0 1.0 48.0 46.5 43.7
Uttarakhand 3771 1.1 5.0 22.0 23.0 14.3 1.6
Uttar Pradesh 70437 20.4 14.5 3.9 81.1 68.0 5.1
Rajasthan 102883 29.8 40.8 8.8 50.4 43.9 2.2
Madhya Pradesh 14028 40.6 26.0 18.0 56 50.7 1.8
(Source: Mishra, 2010, CPCB, 2006)

A wide variety of flora and fauna exists in the Yamuna basin, studies along rivers. Malhotra (2012) has studied the diversity
and their spatial variability largely depends on the geo- of Zooplanktons of river Yamuna and recorded the Cladocera
physical environment (Rai et al., 2012). The drainage basin of as the dominant group followed by Rotifera, Copepoda,
the river, particularly till it meets the plateaus, is filled with Protozoa and Ostracoda. The low population density of the
semi alpine, alpine, sub-tropical and temperate foliage, and Zooplanktons in river water depicted that river Yamuna is in a
huge stretches are covered by jungles aids in survival of a very poor tropic status. Kaushik and Gupta (2014) studied the
variety of wildlife. All planktonic and benthic communities Dyanamics of Avifauna of Yamuna and recorded Birds like
determine processes, functions and attributes related to the Garganey (Anas querquedula), Gadwall (Anas strepera) were
aquatic ecosystem (Tare, 2012). The water quality not at all seen in river stream. Common Teal (Anas crecca),
characteristics strongly influence distribution and extent of Northern Pintail (Anas crecca), Northern Shoveller (Anas
biodiversity in river and subtle morphological and clypeata), Eurasian Wigeon (Anas Penelope), common Red
physiological changes (Malhotra et al., 2014). Many Shank (Tringa totanus) etc. markedly very low numbers in
researchers have put their sincere efforts for biodiversity Yamuna stream although these birds were seen in as large
19958 International Journal of Current Research, Vol. 7, Issue, 09, pp.19956-19963, September, 2015

numbers, as 300-400 specially Northern Shoveller, Northern According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the
Pintail, Common Teal were in few numbers (5-10) in stream. water quality of Yamuna River falls under the category “E”
Few birds like Black headed Gull (Larus ridibundus), Pallas which makes it fit only for recreation and industrial cooling,
Gull (Larus ichthyaetus) and River Lapwing (Vanellus completely ruling out the possibility for under- water life (The
duvaucelii) were specific to Yamuna. Sen et al. (2011) Hindu, 2002). The agriculture run-offs from agricultural belt of
determined fish samples Rahu (Labeo rohita), Tilapia (Tilapia Haryana and heavy load of domestic and industrial wastes
zilli) and Catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigatatus) with heavy along its ~1200 km journey through the states of Haryana,
metal concentration in river Yamuna. Similarly, Bhatnagar et Delhi and Uttar Pradesh due to industrial towns along the bank
al. (2013) also recorded 13 taxa of Zooplankton and 8 taxa of of the river Yamuna, the Yamuna becomes a pale and stinking
Macrozoobenthos. Also recorded 35 taxa contributed to the drain and its quality degrades constantly (Sharma et al., 2014;
Phytoplankton community. Yamuna River has rich ecological, Kazmi and Hansen, 1997; Mishra and Moza, 1997; Moza and
social and economical significance with religious beliefs in Mishra, 2003 and CPCB, 2005). Only Delhi contributes around
addition to the huge varied biodiversity, but due to global 3,296 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage by virtue of
industrialization Yamuna’s original glory decreasing drains falling into the river Yamuna (Anonymous, 2009) which
continuously. is highest by any Indian city (Figure 2).

Water quality status of river Yamuna

There had been rapid urbanization, industrialization and

agricultural development in Yamuna basin after 70’s, which is
still ongoing (CPCB, 1999-2005). Several large cities have
been built on banks of river Yamuna because of advantageous
position for harbors and the easily presence of fresh water.
There are huge number of industrial clusters at various places
including Indore, Gwalior, Kota, Khetri, Panipat, Yamuna
Nagar, Nagda, Delhi, Baghpat, Sonepat, Ghaziabad, NOIDA,
Faridabad, Mathura, Agra and other places. There are many
industries like Distilleries, Pulp, Paper mill, Cement, metal
industries, Sugar mill, Weaving, Electroplating, Oil Refineries,
Ply board, Chemical, Drugs, Automobiles, Thermal Power
Figure 2. City-wise Contribution of Pollution Load in Yamuna
Plants, foodstuff industries etc. discharging wastewater into
River (Source: CPCB, 2006)
river Yamuna (Sharma and Chaudhary, 2013 and Sharma and
Chhabra, 2015). According to CPCB (2006) report, different water quality
parameters of river Yamuna are: Biological Oxygen Demand
The criteria for a healthy river are (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Dissolved
Oxygen (DO). Till date, numerous studies have been done on
1. Dissolved Oxygen: Atleast 5 mg/l (vital for survival of physico-chemical parameters for testing the status of water
aquatic life). quality of river Yamuna by many biologists in India. Dhillon
2. Biochemical Oxygen Demand: About 3 mg/l et al. (2013) extensively studied river Yamuna with regard to
3. Faecal Coliforms counts should not exceed 500 per 100 mL physical and chemical characteristics and BOD level found
of water (Sharma and Chhabra, 2015 and Dhillon et al., exceeding the permissible limit of 2 mg/l, except river at Palla
2013).

Table 2. Used based Water Quality Criteria of Surface Water in India

Designated Best-use Class of Water Criteria

Drinking Water Source without conventional A 1. Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 50 or less.
treatment but after disinfection. 2. pH between 6.5 and 8.5.
3. Dissolved Oxygen 6mg/l or more.
4. Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20o C 2mg/l or less.
Outdoor bathing (Organised) B 1. Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 500 or less
2. pH between 6.5 and 8.5
3. Dissolved Oxygen 5mg/l or more
4. Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20o C 3mg/l or less
Drinking water source after conventional treatment C 1. Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 5000 or less
and disinfection. 2. pH between 6 to 9
3. Dissolved Oxygen 4mg/l or more
4. Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20o C 3mg/l or less
Propagation of Wild life and Fisheries. D 1. pH between 6.5 to 8.5
2. Dissolved Oxygen 4mg/l or more
3. Free Ammonia (as N) 1.2 mg/l or less
Irrigation, Industrial Cooling, Controlled Waste E 1. pH between 6.0 to 8.5
disposal. 2. Electrical Conductivity at 25o C micro mhos/cm Max.2250
3. Sodium absorption Ratio Max. 26
4. Boron Max. 2mg/l
(Source: CPCB, 2012)
19959 Raj Laxmi et al. Assessment and impact of industrial effluents on river Yamuna ecosystem

BOD level starts increasing due to falling out of drains in river non- point source contamination (Figure 3) can occur (Gupta
Yamuna. COD levels at Palla and Surghat found to be below and Singh, 2011).
50 mg/l. Pantoon Pool show highest COD (460 mg/l). Delhi
for most of the year at all the studies location sees DO level
around Zero except Palla and Surghat. This indicates a
complete failure of Pollution control measures. Singh et al,
(2013) assessed Physico-chemical analysis of Yamuna River
water at Mathura, U.P. and recorded DO ranged between 2.5 to
8.6 mg/l during summer, 3.0 to 5.0 during rainy and 3.0 to 10.4
in winters. COD value found higher during summer (54.8
mg/l) and in winter (11.4 mg/l). BOD is varied from 3.2 mg/l
(minimum) to 16.4 mg/l (maximum) in winter, from 14.0 mg/l
(minimum) to 52.7 mg/l (maximum). These observations
indicated polluted nature of river Yamuna. Vasudevan et al,
(2011) studied waste loading scenario of river Yamuna and
analyzed that DO varied from 4mg/L in the first 3 km to
almost zero along the downstream.
Figure 3. Sources of Pollution (Source: Christopher et al., 2012)
The DO is significantly reduced due to the mixing of sewage
Major threats to river Yamuna
from the drains at the bank. The carbonaceous BOD is
predicted upto 20mg/L as slow carbonaceous oxygen demands
There are several major threats that affecting the ecological
(CBODs) and 35 mg/L as fast carbonaceous oxygen demands
integrity of river Yamuna, include:
(CBODf) which is showing good match with the observed
values even though predicted CBODf is lower. The simulated
Industrial effluent and Sewage
total coliform increases from 5000 to 40000 Colony Forming
Units (cfu)/100ml, but the observed counts can be higher than
The river carries highly toxic wastes, containing high level of
this. Finally revealed that found that proper waste load
heavy metals and pesticides indiscriminately discharged by
allocation has to be carried out for the protection of the river
about half a million industrial units. The water of river
Yamuna with the focus on the quantity and quality of the
Yamuna continues to be polluted by domestic sewage and
incoming flow. Sehgal et al. (2012) analyzed average heavy
industrial effluents (Zaffar and Alappat, 2004).
metal concentration at different locations in the river Yamuna
at Delhi, from Wazirabad barrage till the Okhla barrage, water Siltation and degradation of wetlands
varied in the order of Fe>Cr>Mn>Zn>Pb> Cu
>Ni>Hg>As>Cd. The river basin soil shows higher level of All the segments of river Yamuna have been subjected to
contamination with lesser variation than the water samples siltation, encroachment of river beds and the flood plains. This
among sampling locations with free ammonia levels of 1.4-6.6 has resulted in a change in land use pattern hindering the
mg/l were recorded which are unfit for propagation of wildlife ecological functions of the wetlands in the Yamuna basin (The
and fishes. The degree of pollution on river Yamuna can also Hindu, 2002).
be assed from an incident that, on 13th June 2002, thousands of
dead and dying fishes were found strewn over the Sikendra Taj Alien species
Mahal area along the water body (Mishra, 2010).
Introduction of exotic species is also a major problem in water
Causes of Yamuna river pollution resources. Outside their normal environment, they have no
natural predators, so they rapidly run wild, crowding out the
The major causes contributing to the pollution of Yamuna are: usual animals or plants that thrive there (http://www.explain
untreated sewage, industrial effluents, the dumping of garbage, thatstuff.com/waterpollution.html). For example, alien fish
open sewage drains, lack of sufficient sewage treatment plants, species are now dominating the 950-km stretch of the river
soil erosion, open and dead bodies, immersion of idols, Yamuna and affecting yields, according to a new study by the
Aesthetic activities and pollution due to in-stream uses of National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (India Today,
water (CPCB, 2006). It’s not only the industrial sector that 2014).
needs to be blamed, but the residents of slums and rural areas
that live around the river wash their clothes, utensils, cattle, Sand mining
even defecate also in or around the river.
Sand mining is adding to the plight of the Yamuna River in the
Sources of Yamuna river pollution National Capital Region. It has not only changed the course of
the river but also made its riverbed unstable, causing damage
The river Yamuna is polluted through geogenic (Natural) and to the river's banks, thus disturbing the biodiversity of the
anthropogenic activities and it is widely accepted that region (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/
anthropogenic activity makes a significant contribution to the article-2386267/Illegal-sand-mining-changed-course-Yamuna-
total aquatic burden of toxic metals by both point source and River-experts-claim.html#ixzz3dVgwCwAv).
19960 International Journal of Current Research, Vol. 7, Issue, 09, pp.19956-19963, September, 2015

Disposal of Carcasses Heavy metals

Dead bodies of human beings and animals are either directly Rapid population growth, increasing urbanization and the
disposed off into river or cremated on the river banks (ENVIS, increasing appearance of townships as a consequence of poor
2008). planning coupled with increasing industrial activities have
resulted in overwhelming production of waste without
Religious and social practices adequate disposal systems (Fasinu and Orisakwe, 2013) and
enter into aquatic system through drains, leaching of rocks,
People do many religious activities like Asthi visarjan (ashes airborne dust, forest fires and vegetation (Fernandez and
immersion), Murti visarjan (Idol immersion) Deh visarjan Olalla, 2000 and Ogoyi et al., 2011). Existence of poisonous
(dead bodies of human beings immersion) on the bank of the heavy metals in lakes, reservoir and river water disturbs the
river Yamuna. Poly bags filled with different holy material are lives of native people that rely on these water bodies for their
immersed into the river (Anonymous, 2009). regular supply of water (Rai et al., 2002) causing devastating
effects on the ecological balance of the aquatic environment,
Industries and their effluents and the diversity of aquatic organisms becomes limited with
Development process, industrialization, anthropogenic the extent of contamination (Ayandiran et al., 2009). Uptake of
activities and population explosion have affected these toxic metals by plants and subsequent accumulation
environmental quality in many ways, with attendant negative along the food chain is a potential threat to humans and
impacts on the environment and human health. Various through various exposure pathways causing adverse affects on
devastating ecological and human disasters of the last four human health and environment concern (Qishlaqi et al., 2008;
decades implicate industries as a major contribution to Khan et al., 2009 and Wong and Selvam, 2006).
environmental degradation and pollution (Ademoroti and
Sridhar, 1979; Asia and Ademoroti, 2001 and Abdel-Shafty Recommendations
and Abdel-Basir, 2001). By mixing of Industrial effluents and
domestic wastes into water bodies not only affects the water a. Don't release things which are made up of plaster or any
quality of fresh water bodies but also has the deleterious other non biodegradable waste.
impact on the aquatic ecosystems and soil micro flora (Abida b. Implicating a restriction of the use of toxic chemicals in
et al., 2009; Islam et al., 2010; Baskaran et al., 2009; Kaur product formulation.
et al., 2010 and Sirohi et al., 2014). It has been realized that c. Adopting protective measures to prevent leaching of
discharges of untreated or incompletely treated wastes contaminants from sites.
containing algal nutrients, non-biodegradable organics, heavy d. Redirecting industrial wastes into containers and then
metals and other toxicants will hasten the deterioration of dispose of those containers in special waste treatment
receiving water bodies. There has been growing awareness of plants.
the need for effective treatment of various effluents before e. For cleaning up the pollution, the rational mind of people
discharging into any public water body (Olaniyi et al., 2012). and emotional, cultural and religious beliefs is essential.

Table 3. Heavy metals, sources and their toxicological effects on human health

Heavy Metals Major Sources Effect on Human health

Arsenic Pesticides, fungicides, metal smelters, Geogenic/natural Bronchitis, dermatitis, irritation in stomach and intestine, skin, lung, liver
processes, thermal power plants, fuel. and lymphatic cancer, damage of brain and nervous system.

Cadmium Welding, electroplating, pesticides, fertilizers, Cd, Ni Kidney and liver damage, Bronchitis, gastrointestinal disorder, bone
batteries, nuclear fission plant, TV phosphors. marrow, cancer, renal dysfunction

Lead Paints, pesticides, batteries, smoking, crystal glass Liver, kidney, gastrointestinal damage, behavioral changes, lower IQ,
preparation, automobile emission, mining, burning of coal, miscarriages and subtle abortions, peripheral neuropathy in adults,
E-waste, smelting operations, coal-based thermal power Mental retardation and cognitive impairment in children, developmental
plants. delay, coma and even death.
Mercury Pesticides, fertilizers, Fungicidal sprays, batteries, paper Mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, memory loss,
industry, mining, painting, petrochemicals, thermal power vision loss, numbness of fingers and toes, damage to the nervous system,
plants, fluorescent lamps, hospital waste (damaged protoplasm poisoning.
thermometers, barometers, sphygmomanometers), electrical
appliances etc.
Fluoride Food, Drugs, Industrial exposure etc. Dental and skeletal fluorosis, muscle fibre degeneration, low
haemoglobin, deformities in RBC’s, excessive thirst, headache, skin
rashes, nervousness, neurological manifestations, depression,
gastrointestinal problems, urinary tract malfunctioning, abdominal pain,
reduced immunity, repeated abortions or still births, male sterility.
Zinc Refineries, Smelting, electroplating, brass manufacture, Zinc fumes have corrosive effect on the skin, damage nervous membrane,
metal plating, plumbing, immersion of patent idols diarrhoea, liver and kidney damage.
Copper Water pipes; Copper water heaters; Alcoholic beverages Mental disorders, Anemia, Arthritis, Hypertension, diarrhea,
from copper brewery equipment; Pesticides. insecticides; Hyperactivity, Schizophrenia, Insomnia, Autism, Stuttering, Postpartum
fungicides; Copper jewelry; Copper cooking pots, mining, psychosis, Inflammation and enlargement of liver, kidney
smelting operations, electroplating, mining malfunctioning, heart problem, Cystic fibrosis.
Chromium Steel and textile industry, mines, electroplating, industrial Skin rashes, respiratory problems, hepatic damage, neuronal damage,
coolants, leather tanning, chromium salts manufacturing. haemolysis, acute renal failure, weakened immune systems, kidney and
liver damage, alteration of genetic material, lung cancer.
Nickel Stainless steel manufacturing units, electroplating, Smelting Neurotoxic, Genotoxic, Dermatitis, Myocarditis, Encephalopathy,
operations, Thermal power plants, Silver refineries, zinc pulmonary fibrosis, cancer of lungs, nose and bone, headache, dizziness,
base casting and storage battery industries. nausea and vomiting, chest pain, rapid respiration.
(Source: Alluri et al., 2007; Malik et al., 2014; Sharma and Chhabra, 2015; Meenakshi and Maheshwari, 2006; Tangahu et al., 2011 and Bhattacharya et al., 2014)
19961 Raj Laxmi et al. Assessment and impact of industrial effluents on river Yamuna ecosystem

f. There is a sincere need to punish the polluters and Anonymous, 2009. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of
defaulters through a system of fines with adequate bonus to Delhities towards the river Yamuna. PEACE Institute
the fine collectors to keep them duty bound and honest. Charitable Trust and CMS environment, 1-38p.
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and reconsider the basic and real value of the river and body muscle and gut of Clarias gariepinus exposed to
spontaneously participate to the plans for cleaning up the sublethal concentrations of soap and detergent effluent.
river. Small steps can make a big change, so action must be Journal of Cell and Animal Biology, 3(8): 113-118.
taken from individual level for themselves as well as Baskaran, L., Sankar, G.K., Chidambaram, A.L.A. and
environmental protection. Sundaramoorthy, P. 2009 Amelioration of Sugar Mill
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prominent reasons of pollution in the water of river Yamuna, of water quality of river Yamuna in Yamunanagar, India
and demands for adopting certain easily feasible and effective with reference to planktons and macrozoobenthos. Scholars
measures and approaches that can prevent worsening of water Journal of Engineering and Technology (SJET), 1(4): 204-
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Faridabad which is 9th biggest industrial City of Asia (Punia International Letters of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy,
and Cheema, 2013) and Palwal district of Haryana, state. 20(2): 234-263.
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