A victim of industrial as well as domestic and sewage waste, the Yamuna contains no living organisms. All that remains is a stinking drain of chemical effluents, polythene bags, dead bodies and household waste.

According to the statistics provided by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi constitutes two per cent of the Yamuna catchment area, but contributes 79 per cent of its total pollution load. The river water is shared by five states and contributes 70 per cent of Delhi's water requirement.

The CPCB further adds that the dissolved oxygen (DO) level and the biochemical oxygen (BOD) level at its upstream course of Wazirabad is 7.5 mg/l and 2.3mg/l respectively. However, downstream, at Okhla, the level of DO goes down to 1.3 mg/l with BOD level going as high as 16mg/l. Says Mr R C Trivedi, a senior scientist with CPCB: "The prescribed level of DO is 5 or above and that of BOD is 3 or below. The prevailing situation not only makes the water unsuitable for drinking but also affects the aquatic life tremendously. And this deterioration in the quality of water is due to municipal and industrial waste."

There are about sixteen drains that discharge treated and untreated waste into Yamuna. About 60 per cent of the waste and 45 per cent of the total BOD is contributed by the Najafgarh drain. The municipal sector accounts for 1,900 mlds (million litres per day) of waste water and the industrial sector contributes about 320 mlds. Year 2001 is projected to witness a record 2,100 mlds of sewage. Says Mr Anil Aggrawal, director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE): "Majority of us don't know the price at which the government provides us with water.

So we tend to waste it. On the other hand we are well versed with the price of a litre of mineral bottle. Can we imagine ourselves flushing 50 bucks each time on 5-litre of mineral water?"

He further adds that the Yamuna is dirty because we are not ready to follow the rules. The households should segregate their waste into compostable, recyclable and hazardous waste. And the government should develop some proper disposal schemes for hazardous wastes.

Adds renowned environmentalist Ms Iqbal Malik says: "We should involve people in income generating schemes. Plastics should be collected and sent for recycling, and involve communities to work towards cleaning the Yamuna."Long-term planning is also necessary, though. Says Mr Dwijendra Kalia, an economist: "The need of the hour is to build new institutions that are independent of the ministry of water sources and environment. Also, the drainage system should be improved and the capacity of water purification system augmented. Stressing on the need for action to begin at the grassroot level, he adds, "This entire initiative doesn't entirely rest with the policy makers but also with the people, who suffer from it."

Emphasising on maintaining a minimum 10 cubic meter per second water flow in Yamuna, Mr Trivedi suggests, "There should be a parallel sewage disposal channel alongside the river. And 200 mts on both sides of the river should be made `no man's land'."

According to the government estimates, the daily water requirement in Delhi is 31,075 lakh litre while only 23,000 lakh litre is available. The Yamuna contributes more than 50 per cent. By 2017 the demand is expected to be around 52,800 lakh litre. Apparently, it's going to be big problem, calling for equally matching solutions.