Volunteers take the clean up of one of India's most polluted rivers into their hands

Record ID: 1985239

  • Title: Volunteers take the clean up of one of India's most polluted rivers into their hands
  • Date: 22nd March 2025
  • Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (MARCH 20, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FROTH ON YAMUNA RIVER SURFACE VARIOUS OF FARMER WALKING HERD OF CATTLE THROUGH FROTH RIVER BOAT MOVING THROUGH FROTH ON YAMUNA RIVER FROTH ON SURFACE OF YAMUNA RIVER VARIOUS OF WATER POLLUTION ACTIVIST, PANKAJ KUMAR AND HIS GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS PUTTING ON RUBBER GLOVES VOLUNTEERS COLLECTING OVERGROWN WEEDS AND TRASH ON
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: India New Delhi World Water Day Yamuna drainage last rites religion rituals river sewage sewage treatment system traditions water pollution
  • Location: NEW DELHI, INDIA
  • City: NEW DELHI, INDIA
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Climate Adaptation and Solution,Climate Change,Environment,General News
  • Reuters ID: LVA001039520032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Yamuna River flowing through India’s capital of New Delhi is one of the country’s holiest rivers, but also one of its most polluted.
    Its waters are highly contaminated with faeces, chemicals, and ashes from human cremations, and the sight and stench of it kept many residents away from the area for years.
    This, however, is what prompted volunteers like Nita Paul to take action.
    “Every time I visited this place, it kept getting worse. Then you get this feeling that if you start picking up a small piece of polythene, it can make a difference”, said Paul as she plucked out weeds growing on the side of the river that the volunteer believes can lead to algae bloom if not removed, and worsens pollution levels.
    She is part of a small group of volunteers led by 33-year-old Pankaj Kumar, an environmental activist, who feels their efforts have made a difference.
    He and his team have painstakingly cleared trash and weeds from the riverbank using just their gloved hands.
    Kumar said that till a few years back, the riverbank was full of garbage and void of visitors.
    However, with his team’s efforts, Kumar says they have managed to transform a part of the riverbank into a green belt, with a regular stream of visitors compared to previous years.
    “Today you can visit this river bank, perform prayers, and sit for a while,” said Kumar.
    Kumar however said that clearing trash is just a small piece of a larger puzzle the authorities need to take the lead on, like improving the water quality in the city’s drains, and treating wastewater.
    New Delhi alone produces 3.6 billion litres of sewage every day but due to poor management less than half is effectively treated. The remaining untreated waste is dumped into the Yamuna River.
    (Production: Sunil Kataria, Tarun Kumar, Swagatam Roy, Rajat Mishra)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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