River Pollution: An Overview
The challenge of river pollution is significant, stemming from several sources including domestic, municipal, industrial, and agricultural water requirements. As more water is extracted from rivers to satisfy these needs, the overall volume of water diminishes, leading to untreated sewage and waste being discharged directly into water bodies. This pollution reduces water quality and impairs the rivers' natural self-cleansing abilities.
For instance, although the Ganga can dilute and manage pollution within 20 km of its major cities under ideal streamflow conditions, ongoing urbanization and industrialization hinder this process, resulting in higher pollution levels. In light of these issues, various initiatives have been launched to restore and clean the rivers, including the Ganga Action Plan initiated in 1985, which expanded into the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in 1995 with aims to improve water quality across major rivers in the country.