Yamuna at its ‘healthiest’ state: Experts

NEW DELHI: The Yamuna river is at its "healthiest" state for the first time this year as its water quality has drastically improved due to the rise in flood water, experts have said. The improvement is largely due to the increased oxygen content of flood water which washes away pollutants in the river, they said.

On Monday, the water level in the Yamuna surpassed the danger mark of 204.83 metres, forcing the evacuation of around 10,000 people from the low-lying areas, after around 5,13,554 cusecs was released by the Hathini Kund barrage.

One of the most important rivers in the country, the Yamuna passes through Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. It merges with the Ganga at Allahabad. The Yamuna has also earned the unpleasant distinction of being one of the most polluted rivers in the country. But the quality of water in the Yamuna has improved in the last two days due to the increased flow of water, experts said.

Manoj Mishra, the convener of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, termed the improvement as a "temporary effect which would go with the monsoon season". "The quality of Yamuna water is at its healthiest state for the first time this year but that is due to the better water flow. Any water that is flowing always has better quality as it has increased oxygen content which washes away the existing pollutants and also prevents pollutants from entering," he said.

He highlighted the need to maintain the healthy state of the river. "There is a need to maintain environmental flow at Hathini Kund Barrage to ensure that the aquatic flora and fauna flourish as they are dependent upon the environmental flow," he said.

An environmental flow is quantity, timing, and quality of water flow required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. The experts, however, expressed apprehensions about the longevity of the improved state of the river. Faiyaz Khudsar, a scientist at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, said this temporary improvement in water quality of Yamuna is an annual affair and to retain this quality there is a need to make wetlands.

Wetland is an area of land that is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. They play a very important function of filtering the water.