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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONEMNTAL SCIENCES

Volume 4, No 6, 2014

© Copyright by the authors - Licensee IPA- Under Creative Commons license 3.0

Research article ISSN 0976 – 4399

Received on March 2014 Published on May 2014 1177

Water quality analysis of river Yamuna – the Delhi stretch Vaishali Sahu1, Prachi Sohoni2

ITM University, Gurgaon, Haryana

[email protected]

doi: 10.6088/ijes.2014040600008

ABSTRACT

The Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganga River, is one of the most polluted rivers in India and

especially in urban centres like Delhi is of a critical water quality. The discharge of untreated

waste water is the main reason of the decrease in water quality. But also diffuse sources like

dumping of waste material, religious offering of flowers or food, immersion of idols, holy baths,

clothes washing or cattle bathing lead to pollution. The rapid growth and the high population

density in India make the situation getting worse very fast. Although there are many

investigations, e.g. the Yamuna Action Plan, an improvement is hardly noticeable. As per

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the water quality of River Yamuna is of the category E

which makes it fit only for irrigation, industrial cooling and controlled waste disposal. The test

results confirmed a bad water quality, thus zero dissolved oxygen, normally 4 mg/l, and a BOD

of 17 mg/l, 3 mg/l in a good condition, was determined. These results were measured during

non-monsoon season where only 20 % of the annual rainfall appears. The results can vary in

monsoon season but in comparison to the average values of CPCB most results were similar. As

per prognosis India won’t reach the Millennium Development Goal, to halve by 2015 the

proportion of people without basic sanitation. To improve the situation more wastewater

treatment plants should be built in order to connect all Delhi’s population to a sewage system. To

install decentralized water treatment plants and public sanitation is important as well. On the

other hand to deal with the waste problem, investments for a new solid waste management

system for recycling should be done. And last of all awareness programs to make people

understand the importance of a good water quality should be carried out because no efforts can

improve the water quality when people still don’t care about it.

Keyword: Disposal, reuse, water treatment plant sludge.

1. Introduction

Water is an important and necessary resource for life support. It is used in many different areas

like e.g. water supply and sanitation, navigation, energy production, leisure and recreation,

agriculture and habitat for aquatic life. With the growing population, technological and social

change, economic growth and the different water availability in countries water has become a

scarce resource. Temporary runoff and an intensive usage lead to resource degradation.

Developing countries adhere to water shortages, as there is often a lack of wastewater treatment,

resulting in significant water quality degradation results. In industrialized countries water stress

rarely appears since wastewater treatment, recycling of industrial water, etc. allows an intensive

reuse.

Water quality analysis of river Yamuna – the Delhi stretch

Vaishali Sahu, Prachi Sohoni International Journal of Environmental Sciences Volume 4 No.6, 2014

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A bad Water Quality can cause impacts on the human health. World Health Organization (WHO)

Guidelines define safe drinking-water as water that “…does not represent any significant risk to

health over a lifetime of consumption, including different sensitivities that may occur between

life stages” (WHO 2011), Microbial Pathogens get into water by sewage and animal waste and

can cause diseases like gastroenteritis, salmonella infection, dysentery, hepatitis, to name a few.

On the other side there are impacts on aquatic ecosystems such as acidification and

eutrophication which can destroy the natural landscape. The pollution of water caused by

anthropological activities (agriculture, industry, hydraulic installations) leads to high pressure on

Water Quality.

2. Study area

River Yamuna, the largest tributary of the Ganga River, is a holy river in Indian mythology and

one of the most polluted rivers in India. Several pilgrimage centers are located at the bank.

Therefore many stretches, especially these close to urban centres e.g. Delhi, Mathura, Agra,

which introduce a huge quantity of untreated water into the river, are highly polluted. Most

important usages of Yamuna water are irrigation, domestic water supply and industrial use. This

causes a high discharge of polluted water into the river. Sources from domestic use cause about

85 % of the total pollution. Besides there are several diffused sources of pollution such as open

defecation, bathing, washing, dumping of garbage and dead bodies, immersion of idols etc.

The river originates from the Yamunotri Glacier in Uttarankhand in the lower Himalayas at an

elevation of about 6,387 m and crosses the states Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and

Delhi. To its confluence with Ganga River at Allahabad the total length is 1,376 km. Because of

the variation of the river flow during monsoon (July - September) and non-monsoon (October -

June) seasons, five main barrages regulate the quantity of water to guarantee an adequate water

supply in upstream areas. The barrages are at Dak Patthar in Uttarankhand, at Hathnikund at

foothills in Haryana, at Wazirabad in National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, at Okhla in

NCT of Delhi and at Mathura near Gokul village in Uttar Pradesh. Due to these barrages the

river can be divided into five segments. Figure 1 shows the different segments of River Yamuna,

which are the Himalayan Segment, Upper Segment, Delhi Segment, Eutriphicated Segment and

Diluted Segment. (CPCB 2006).

At Hathnikund in Haryana the major part of river water is diverted into Eastern and Western

Yamuna canals for irrigation. During non-monsoon season no water is allowed to flow

downstream, why some stretches between Hathnikund and Delhi are almost dry. In this segment

the river regains water from ground water, canals and small tributaries. For drinking water

supply for Delhi the river is trapped at Wazirabad barrage, where again no water is allowed to

flow down during dry season. Downstream water of Wazirabad barrage consists of treated,

partially treated or untreated domestic and industrial wastewater coming from various drains and

canals. Another barrage in Okhla guarantees water flow into Agra Canal for irrigation. As for the

previous barrages, downstream water consists of drain water of domestic and industrial use. At

Mathura the Gokul barrage diverts again a huge quantity of water for drinking water supply,

before after 790 km the river flows into Ganga River at Allahabad. Because of the barrages there

is no continuous flow of the river and nearly every segment can be considered separately. (CPCB

2006)



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Figure 1: Different segments of river Yamuna, A Basin map of River Yamuna, B River

classification according to pollution, C Location of monitoring stations (CPCB) in NCT (Delhi),

India (Sharma 2011)

Figure 2: Delhi Stretch of River Yamuna



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This work examines the Water Quality for the Delhi stretch of River Yamuna as it is considered

as the most polluted segment. With a length of 22 km it is located between Wazirabad barrage

and Okhla barrage (Figure 2), It receives water from 17 sewage drains of Delhi and also from

Najafgarh drain and Hindon cut canal. With the Okhla barrage water flows into Agra Canal, that

supplies the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh with water for irrigation purposes. (CPCB

2006). The population of Delhi is approximately 16,700,000 (Census 2011), It is estimated that

about 3267 MLD of wastewater is generated in Delhi including 218 MLD from industrial

sources. From that about 2365 MLD is discharged into Yamuna River, 661 MLD into Agra

Canal and 241 MLD is used for irrigation. The installed capacity of sewage treatment facility in

2003 was 2330 MLD; therefore a capacity of 937 MLD is missing. The pollution load in terms of

BOD was 243 tonnes/day in 2003. (CPCB 2004). It has to be mentioned that this thesis

determines the Water Quality in non-monsoon season, as the flow of the Yamuna River varies

during monsoon (July - September) and non-monsoon (October - June) seasons the results can be

different.

2. Sampling location

The sampling locations were selected according to the access and reachability to the water as

well as living local people at the bank who were able to step into the water to get the samples.

The influence of nearby discharges was not observed previously. The samples were taken of two

locations, both nearby bridges and easy to reach (

Figure 3 and 4)

1. I.T.O. Bridge (Vikas Marg)

2. Nizamuddin Bridge (Bhoj Marg, near Akshardam Temple)

The locations are directly in the centre of New Delhi, close to Connaught place as well. The

I.T.O Bridge is located approximately 10 km downstream the Wazirabad barrage. The

Nizamuddin Bridge is around 3 km downstream of the I.T.O. Bridge. In between two power

plants are located, so that it is possible to estimate the influence on the River Quality.

Figure 3: Sampling locations, I.T.O. Bridge and Nizamuddin Bridge (Wikimapia 2012)



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The water at these locations reflect the impact of wastewater discharge, as it is downstream the

Delhi’s drains (Figure 5),

Figure 4: Points of water abstractions and additions for Yamuna River in the Delhi segment

(CPCB 2006)

Besides, the CPCB has chosen the Nizamuddin Bridge as a sampling location as well. The

reason is that this location reflects the impact of wastewater discharge into the river. Before that

they have a location in Palla and behind Nizamuddin Bridge there is a location at the Agra Canal,

which reflects the impact of discharge of treated and partially treated effluents from Okhla

Sewage treatment Plant, other drains joining the river/canal and Hindon-cut canal. (CPCB 2006)

Figure 5: Location map on Sampling Stations in Delhi of CPCB (CPCB 2006)

3. Methodology

A total of ten grab samples were taken from the Yamuna River, first four at Nizamuddin Bridge

(near Akshardam temple) and then six more at I.T.O. Bridge. A grab sample by definition is a

random (in terms of time and/or place) by one-removal (usually by scooping) taken sample from

the water body. All samples were taken from the right bank of River Yamuna (Figure 6), This

location is important as many people step only a few meters into the water to take a holy bath or

animals come to the river to drink water.



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Figure 6: Sampling locations of Yamuna River

For safety and hygienic reason local people living close to the bank of Yamuna River were asked

to take the samples. Therefore the sampler stepped in the water about 1 m to avoid sediments and

other raised particles coming in the bottle. For sampling the sample bottles were directly dipped

in the water for approximately 5 - 10 cm deep. Immediately the bottles were marked with

information of number, date and place. For conservation 10 sample bottles of plastic were

provided. Six bottles had a capacity of 1 l, the other four of 0.5 l. To protect the water samples of

the influence of the atmospheric oxygen the bottles had closable lids. But as all the bottles were

transparent, they couldn’t be protected of light. The samples were kept in the Celfrost fridge at

4 °C.

4. Test results

The following test results represent the water quality of River Yamuna only in non-monsoon

season and indicate the pollution at the bank of the river. This location is important as many

people step only a few meters into the water to take a holy bath or animals come to the river to

drink water.

Table 1: Parameters tested of Yamuna River samples and the analytic method used

Parameter Analysis Method

Ph

ysi

cal

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs Flow velocity Stop watch and measuring tape

Temperature Thermometer

Turbidity Nephelometric

Conductivity Conductivity meter

Ch

emic

al

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs:

pH Electrometric

Hardness Titrimetric (EDTA)

Content of Chlorides Mohr’s Method

Total suspended solids (TSS) Glass fibre filter (gravimetric)

Total dissolved solids (TDS) Glass fibre filter (gravimetric)

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Modified Winkler-Azide Method

Biological oxygen demand (BOD) 3 and 5 days BOD

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) Dichromate open reflux



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With the available environmental equipment, the characteristics shown in Table 1 were measured

with the specific analysis method. The air temperature measurement with a thermometer showed

16 °C. The results for each sample are given in figure 7. The medium temperature of the Yamuna

River water from the bank is 19.8 °C and the range is from 19.2 °C to 20.9 °C.

19.8

Nizamuddin bridge ITO bridge

18.0

19.0

20.0

21.0

22.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Te

mp

. [°

C]

Sample No. Figure 7: Temperature test results for each sample

The Digital Nephelo-Turbidity Meter 132 was used to measure the turbidity of the water samples.

The medium turbidity determined is 16.9 NTU. In a range of 4.4 to 18.3 NTU, the turbidity at

Nizamuddin Bridge was less than at ITO Bridge as it is shown in Figure 8.

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Tu

rb[N

TU

]

Sample No.


16.9

Figure 8: Turbidity test results for each sample

For measurement the Waterproof Pen Tester, Model 7200 pH/Cond/TDS/Salt/Temp by

Scientific Systems was used, which determines the conductivity with two electrodes (same as for



1184

temperature and pH), The procedure is described as in figure shown, the values of the measured

conductivity don’t vary strong. A medium result of 2.7 mS was determined. The measurements

are for only 5 samples as the instrument didn’t work properly after some time.

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

1 2 3 4 5

Co

nd

uct

ivit

y [

mS

]

Sample No.


2.7

Figure 9: Conductivity test results for each sample

The chemical parameters and their influence on the water body are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Chemical parameters and their ecological or health effect

Parameter Influence on water body

Ch

emic

al

Ch

ara

cter

isti

cs:

pH Acidification

Hardness foam formation

Chlorides Salty taste

TSS Aesthetics, light transmittance

TDS Aesthetics, light transmittance

DO For aquatic life a minimum of 4 mg/l is necessary

BOD

A high organic pollution lead to growth of plants. When

plants and algae die, their decomposition uses up the

available oxygen in the water. Eutrophication.

COD Organic and inorganic pollution

For measurement a Waterproof Pen Tester, Model 7200 pH/Cond/TDS/Salt/Temp by was used,

which determines the pH with an electronic cell. The pH was measured twice, one time directly

after taken the sample on the premises of the Yamuna River bank and one time on the following

day in the laboratory of ITM University. The test results are shown in

Figure and table 2. It is obvious that the results measured in different locations don’t vary strong.

The results of both measurements are very close and similar. Sample no. 8 had a lower pH in



1185

both measurements, thus an outlier can be excluded. Without severe deviation the medium pH-

value is 7.1, which indicates a neutral solution. By using the EDTA titration method the content

of calcium and magnesium ions could be measured. The results of each sample are shown in

figure 10. A medium hardness of 623 mg/l indicates very hard water. In between the two

locations no big differences are visible. Only the hardness at Nizamuddin Bridge is a little higher

than at ITO Bridge. There it varies from 615 to 655 mg/l and at ITO from 600 to 630 mg/l.

6.2

6.4

6.6

6.8

7.0

7.2

7.4

7.6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

pH

Sample No.

on the premises of Yamuna River itm laboratory


Figure 10: pH test results for each sample

560

580

600

620

640

660

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ha

rdn

ess

[mg

Ca

CO

3/l

]

Sample No.


623

Figure 11: Hardness test results for each sample



1186

For determination the content of chlorides the Mohr’s method was used. A medium content of

chloride of 538 mg/l was measured. In between the two locations at Nizamuddin Bridge chloride

was a little higher with 566 mg/l compared to ITO location with 520 mg/l. Total suspended

solids are determined as the residue left on a glass fibre filter after drying in an oven. The

detailed procedure is described in figure 12. The oven Shivaki STC-72 was used to dray the

filters. The filters were weighed by the balance Type BL-22OH by Shimadzu Corporation Japan

with a readability of 0.001 g. As shown in Figure 13 the total suspended solids with 10 to 100

mg/l varies greatly. The medium value is 54 mg/l.

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ch

lori

de

[mg/

l]

Sample No.


538

Figure 12: Chloride test results of each sample

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TSS

[mg/

l]

Sample No.Nizamuddin bridge ITO bridge

54

Figure 13: TSS test results for each sample

The 5 day and 3 day BOD was measured. The BOD incubator was used to keep the BOD-bottles

away from light and at a constant temperature. The test results vary strong in a range of 4.4 to

29.2 mg/l as in Figure shown. The three highest values from sample No. 8, 9 and 10 were

measured with the BOD after 3 days. The medium BOD level was determined as 17 mg/l.



1187

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

BO

D [

mg

/l]

Sample No.

17


Figure 14: BOD test results for each sample

The COD test results are presented in 3. The results didn’t give correct values (the COD must be

higher than BOD that was 17 mg/l in medium) only the result of sample No. 4 (24 mg/l) will be

used in the following analysis.

Table 3: COD test results

No. 2 No. 4 medium

COD mg/l 8 24 16

5. Discussion

The taken water samples are not representative for the whole Delhi Stretch of River Yamuna

because they were taken only from the bank, which is most polluted. A right way could have

been to sample the profile of the river with a boat, but even this needs lot of more organization

and would be too complex for the purpose of this thesis. Moreover the locations of drains and

power plants should have been observed in advance and the influence of monsoon season hasn’t

been observed as well. For representative results samples should be taken over the year in

monsoon as well as in non-monsoon season.

A DO level of 0.0 mg/l makes aquatic life at the bank of Yamuna River not possible. The

variations in BOD level has been in a range of 4 to 29 mg/l which is, according to the close

sampling locations, very high. These variations may be due to random concentration gradients

and streams in the water body. A normal BOD value of 3 mg/l was not achieved. Most results of

CPCB originate from samples at Nizamuddin Bridge, the same location of one sampling sight,

why the comparison of these results is very accurate. Even the location is at the quarter stream

that is close to the bank. Other results, which were not available, could be found for other

locations like Agra and Etawah which are comparable as the downstream areas are high polluted

as well. Only for the flow velocity, Turbidity and TDS no results for comparison were available.

In comparison to the published results of CPCB shown in Table , obviously most test results are

similar. Great variations occur in conductivity and COD. While the conductivity result is almost

in the same range, the COD value greatly diverge from the CPCB result. The comparison of the



1188

TDS result is very difficult as there doesn’t exist a value but a range from 0 to 1,000 mg/l. Even

the different locations make it difficult to compare the results as Etawah is located downstream

very far away from Delhi.

Table 4: Comparison of test results to the results of CPCB (CPCB 2006; DPCC 2008)

Parameter Test

results Results Source Year Location

Flow velocity (m/s) 0.14 - - -

Temperature (°C) 19.8 25.7 CPCB 2005 Nizamuddin Bridge -

Quarter Stream

Turb (NTU) 16.9 - - -

Conductivity

(mS/cm) 2.7 1.02 CPCB 2005

Nizamuddin Bridge -

Quarter Stream

pH 7.1 7.4 CPCB 2005 Nizamuddin Bridge -

Quarter Stream

Hardness (mg

CaCO3/l) 623 792 CPCB 2005 Agra u/s

Chloride (mg/l) 538 424 CPCB 2005 Agra d/s (1/2)

TSS (mg/l) 54 96 DPCC 2008 Nizamuddin Bridge

TDS (mg/l) < 1000 1357 CPCB 2002 Etawah

DO (mg/l) 0.0 0.7 CPCB 2005 Nizamuddin Bridge -

Quarter Stream

BOD (mg/l) 17 23 CPCB 2005 Nizamuddin Bridge -

Quarter Stream

COD 24 67 CPCB 2005 Nizamuddin Bridge -

Quarter Stream

5. Conclusions

The results showed that in between the two different locations (I.T.O. Bridge and Nizamuddin

Bridge) there are not many variations. In comparison to CPCB the results are representative

except for TDS and COD which are inaccurate results. The comparison to standards for

irrigation and drinking water quality was not representative as there are more parameters

necessary to test. But in conclusion most parameters were higher as the standard values which

indicates a bad water quality. Only the pH met all standards. The investigation in water quality

management through the YAP was not successful. Therefore further improvement measures

should be done. Because domestic discharge causes 85 % of the pollution new wastewater

treatment plants (centralized and decentralized) should be built. In order to save money people

could be made aware of using water carefully, so the amount of water to be treated will decrease.

Furthermore the Government of India could adopt new laws or targets for improving the water



1189

quality, especially concerning the Delhi stretch of River Yamuna as Delhi is the capital city of

India.

6. References

1. CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board (2204), Report on Status of Sewerage and

Sewage Treatment Plants in Delhi.

2. CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board (2006), Report on Water Quality Status of

Yamuna River 1999-2005.

3. Sharma, D., Kansal, A (2011), Water quality analysis of River Yamuna using water

quality index in the national capital territory, India (2000–2009), Applied Water

Science,1(3-4), pp 147-157.

4. WHO, World Health Organization, (2011), Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality 4th

Edition.

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