The Filthiest Rivers in Asia

Yangtze River 6,300km

• Asia’s longest river

• The river basin is home to nearly 500 million people

• Flows into the Yellow Sea

• Carries the most plastic waste to the ocean – 1.5 million metric tonnes

Yellow River 5,464km

• The “cradle” of Chinese civilisation

• Most of the river’s water is undrinkable

• 30% of fish species have disappeared

Hai River 70km

• Connects Tianjin and Beijing

• Flows into the busy Bohai Sea

• Also heavily polluted with wastewater

Pearl River 2,400km

• Enters the South China Sea between Hong Kong and Macau

• Also polluted with sewage and industrial waste

Ganges River 2,525km

• India’s most sacred river

• Provides drinking water for more than 400 million people

• Other types of waste: sewage, agricultural, industrial