Indian Sub-continent, 7000 BCE- 1900 BCE

Over 10,000 years ago, a mighty river, Saraswati, flowed from the Shivalik Ranges in Himachal Pradesh through modern Punjab, Haryana, and northern Rajasthan. It then moved to eastern Pakistan, reentering India before the Rann of Kutch and emptying into the Arabian Sea. It flowed west of Yamuna and below the Sutlej. As it entered today’s Pakistan, it flowed on the eastern side along with the Indus.

In the Neolithic and Bronze ages, pastoral tribes from Central Asian Steppes, Persia, and Southeast Asian hunter-gatherers moved to areas near and between the Indus and Saraswati rivers. Scores of settlements flourished in today’s Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, the Rann of Kutch, and modern-day Pakistan. Ruins depict well laid-out towns, water storage and supplies, drains, roads, bridges, brick homes, indoor toilets, exquisite pottery, and clay seals with undeciphered script. At its peak, these settlements had a population of five million people.

This civilization, now known as the Indus Saraswati Valley Civilization, lasted until about 1900 BCE.

Strangely, the people who lived in these settlements just left! There is no evidence of a war, fire, or natural calamity. What happened?

The Saraswati River was fed by the Shivalik glaciers and a distributary of the Sutlej River. Thousands of years ago, the Sutlej started changing its course; no water flowed to the Saraswati over time. Around 5000 to 2000 BCE, a tectonic event severed the connection between the Shivalik glaciers and the Saraswati. The Saraswati now relied only on the monsoon watershed. Over time, it was reduced to a small seasonal rivulet and faded away in the Thar desert.  

During this time, a major drought lasted about two hundred years; the Indus and the four rivers flowing into it also diminished in size.

The people of the Indus Saraswati civilization moved to the Yamuna-Gangetic plains and further south.

The death of the Saraswati River, droughts, and reduced water flow in the Indus River destroyed a flourishing civilization that lasted for around 5000 years.

Devout Hindus believe Saraswati, the goddess of learning, still flows in the subterranean and merges with the Yamuna and Ganga at Allahabad.

The Present 2024 CE

Our story is confined to the States of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi in Northwest India.

Punjab and Haryana contribute fifty percent to India’s breadbasket. Rice and Wheat are the primary crops.

Punjab

Punjab has limited access to the Ravi River, which flows from Jammu Kashmir, skirts northern Punjab, and flows into Pakistan. This is followed by the Beas River, which covers the upper third of Punjab and merges with the Sutlej River at Hari Ke. The Sutlej flows into Pakistan, about twenty-five kilometres away. Sutlej enters Punjab in the upper one-third part of the state. This is the predominant river in Punjab. Sutlej emerges from Tibetan glaciers. The Bhakra Nangal dam is built across the Sutlej River and provides water to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. A network of canals from Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej proliferate Punjab.

Since all three rivers flow in the top one-third of Punjab, the central and southern parts of Punjab have traditionally been dry lands. Cotton and Millets were the predominant crops. However, the Bhakra dam, a network of canals from the Sutlej, brought water to most of central and southern Punjab, and the green revolution was ushered in.

Punjab has a population of 31 million. Its annual rainfall is about 438 mm, mostly in the monsoon seasons of late June, July, August, and September.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Government of India introduced a Minimum Support Price for Rice and Wheat as a guarantee of uptake at a fair price. This was followed by low or free power for farmers. Consequently,farmers started pumping out groundwater and flooding fields to grow paddy after the summers. Paddy harvest was completed in the winter, followed by the sowing of wheat, which was harvested in April. Farmers used excessive quantities of nitrogen-based Urea and Phosphatic fertilizers, which were subsidized. Insecticides were profusely used to increase crop yield. Punjab became the largest supplier of Rice and Wheat in India.

In the last few decades, groundwater levels have diminished, and Punjab has been declared a Red Zone, signifying alarmingly low groundwater levels. Additionally, excessive use of fertilizer and insecticide has poisoned groundwater.

There is an important social and economic phenomenon worth mentioning. Farmers of Punjab with land of, say, 10 acres or more became prosperous. They decided to sublet their lands and quit farming. According to estimates, about 40 % of Punjab's land has now been sublet to migrants from UP and Bihar. Here is how it works. 

A farmer in Punjab sublets ten acres of land to a troupe of about 3 migrants for about Rs.700,000 per year. The migrants spend about Rs.250,000 on seeds, fertilizer, insecticide, and other costs. Groundwater is free since power is free. In one year, they get about 350 quintals of rice and sell it at the MSP of Rs.2000 per quintal. This amounts to Rs.700,000. They also reap 200 quintals of wheat and sell it at an MSP of Rs.2250 per quintal, amounting to Rs.450,000. Residual wheat husk used as cattle feed is sold for Rs100,000. Since migrant labor does not have any capital, they take money on interest from the local “Arti,”  who is the grain wholesaler in the local grain market, at the rate of 12 to 15%. An interest cost of Rs.50,000 is paid.

The total cost is Rs.10,00,000; revenue is Rs. 12,50,000.The Net Profit is Rs.250,000 for three immigrant man years. Add income from the growth of vegetables and dairy farming, Rs.100,000. The Net inflow is Rs.350,000. Divided among three people, it equals Rs.112,000 per person, just Rs.306 per day. This puts them in the bottom seventeen percent of India’s population income-wise. This income is far below the Minimum wage stipulated by the Government at Rs. 132,000 per annum. It is also far below the Rs.192,000 per capita GDP of India. It is assumed that the migrant laborer lives off the land. All savings are sent to his family residing in UP or Bihar. The original farmer in Punjab is now a capitalist. Like old times, the labourer – farmer still lives in poverty!

It takes about 10,000 litres of water to produce one kilo of rice and 900 litres of water per kilo of wheat. This water is lost to evaporation, transpiration, runoff, and ground absorption. The water lost to runoff and ground absorption is highly polluted with nitrogen—and phosphate-based compounds and insecticides.

If the nominal cost of water is just Rs. 0.20 per liter, the total cost of water consumed by both crops is Rs.736 lacs. The cost of Rice would increase by Rs.2000 per Kg, while Wheat would cost Rs.180 extra if the cost of groundwater is considered. What a paradox!

Groundwater in Punjab should last no more than ten years at this rate.

Add to this the cost of irreversible water pollution, loss of flora and fauna, and impact on human health. No wonder there is a train from Bhatinda in  Punjab called the Cancer Express. It ferries cancer patients from Punjab to Jaipur’s Cancer Hospital.

Haryana

Five decades ago, most of central, western, and southern Haryana were deserts. Today, its primary water sources are the Yamuna, monsoons, and canals from the Bhakra Dam.

The Yamuna emerges from the Yamunotri / Bandar Punch (Monkey’sTail) glacier, 6320 meters above sea level in the lower Himalayas. Over the years, global warming has led to a depletion of the glaciers. As per a study, glaciers across the Himalayas experienced significant ice loss over the past 40years, with the average rate of ice loss twice as rapid in the 21st century compared to the end of the 20th century.

From Uttrakhand, it flows into Himachal Pradesh for 172 km and crisscrosses the borders of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for 224 km. Just a few kilometers from the Himachal and Uttrakhand border, the Hathnikund barrage was constructed, giving rise to two canals, which take away the lion's share of water from the river. One flows into Haryana, and the other into Uttar Pradesh.To this point, the river is relatively unpolluted.

As it crisscrosses Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, it provides irrigation, drinking, and water for industrial use to adjoining areas. About 90% of the water is extracted for irrigation.

Runoff water comprising Nitrogen, Phosphate compounds, insecticides, and pesticides flows into the Yamuna from adjoining farmland.

Over sixty sewage and industrial treatment plants discharge purportedly treated raw water into the Yamuna during its 200 km journey (the remaining 24 km are in Faridabad and Palwal). Along the way, innumerable small drains discharge untreated sewage.

Sewage from villages, towns, and cities comprises human waste, chemicals from soap, detergents, cleaning agents, plastic waste including nano plastics, ammonia, and various pathogens. Sewage treatment plants remove plastic waste and visible suspended objects by screening.

Subsequently, sewage is moved to a large concrete tank where compressed air is injected. This promotes the growth of aerobic bacteria,which consume organic waste, releasing CO2 and biomass called sludge. This is allowed to settle for some time in a pond. The water is pumped out, and sludge is removed. The pumped water is chlorinated and released into the Yamuna. In reality, the Sewage plants are thoroughly mismanaged, and Oxygen, Turbidity sensors, and adjutant chemical laboratories do not function. As a result, partially treated sewage is let off in the Yamuna.

Industrial effluent released into the Yamuna comprises toxic chemicals and metals depending on the region's industry type.

Annual rainfall is about 425 mm. It occurs primarily during the June, July, August, and September monsoons. About 30 % of the rainfall runs off into the Yamuna.

Most farmers in Haryana also use groundwater extensively and similar cropping patterns, as in Punjab. Landlords earn the lion’s share while the laborer-farmer makes a pittance.

Today, over 74% of Haryana's groundwater has been declared Overdrawn, Critical, or Semi-Critical. In a decade, farmers shall not be able to access groundwater.

Polluted Groundwater is used for drinking water after cholirification. It still comprises Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Insecticide pollution.

In just 200 km, along the border of Haryana, the Yamuna is substantially reduced in volume of water. It comprises dangerous E. coli, microorganisms, and pathogens. In addition, it comprises various compounds of Nitrogen and phosphate and various chemicals from pesticides, insecticides, and industrial effluents.

The population of Haryana is just 31 million.

Delhi

Delhi’s primary water sources are the Yamuna and Groundwater, followed by Western Yamuna and Upper Ganga Canal. Delhi has a population of 35 million.

The Yamuna River enters Delhi from the North at Palla.

On January 9, 2023, the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal passed an order regarding the unabated pollution of the Yamuna River and the continued failure of various authorities to take action on specific orders passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the NGT.

The Tribunal noted that the matter was dealt with by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India for 23 years before it was transferred to the NGT in 2017. The Tribunal noted that there had been a Judicial Oversight for 23 years!

Returning to the Yamuna, the river crosses the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant and the Wazirabad Barrage after passing Palla. As per a submission by the Central Pollution Control Board to the National Green Tribunal in January 2023, the following are just three of the many important quality parameters of water that enter Delh

Dissolved Oxygen  9.2 mg/L, acceptable limit > 5mg/L

BOD 16 mg/L,acceptable limit < 3 mg/L

Total Faecal Coliform54 x 103, MPN (Most Probable Nos) per 100 ml input water.

BOD stands for Biochemical Oxygen Demand. This is the dissolved oxygen that aerobic biological organisms need to break down organic material in a water sample. A BOD level of 16 mg/L is an abnormally large value, signifying a very high level of human waste in water. At this level, aerobic bacteria in water would suck in any dissolved oxygen in the water and deprive aquatic life, including fish and plants, of oxygen. Surprisingly the CPCB also claims a high level of Dissolved Oxygen of 9.2 mg/L. This is just not possible. If oxygen were present in the water the high level of Biochemical Oxygen Demand would have used that oxygen. Clearly, something does not smell right. The pollution of Yamuna does not support aquatic life by the time it is halfway in Haryana, in Delhi, and onwards till it meets the Chambal River.

Where Faecal Coliforms are concerned, pure drinking water should have “0” Coliforms. The value of 54000 Faecal Coliforms per 100 mL is high and dangerous. This water is unsafe for swimming, agriculture,and drinking.

I have visited the Wazirabad Water Treatment plant a few years ago. Water from the Yamuna enters through a large gate with an iron grill. The iron grill keeps away floating animal and sometimes human cadavers, large plants, and pieces of wood and plastic. The water is moved to large settlement tanks and allowed to settle for a day. It is then pumped into a circular tank known as the flocculator. Here, Alum is mixed in. Alum coagulates suspended and colloidal particles in raw water, which settle down. The semi-purified water is skimmed off and moved to a filter bed comprising gravel and sand. The filtration process purifies the water further. After this the water is passed through UV light and chlorinated. This is pumped out as drinking water.

This drinking water contains nitrates, phosphates,chemicals, and insecticides. It is assumed that UV light and chlorination eliminate all pathogens and bacteria. As the water moves through miles of water pipes, the effect of chlorination fades, and bacteria and pathogens growing in the pipes mix with the water. In many cases leaking sewage pipes introduce bacteria in the leaking water pipes. When this drinking water reaches your home, it has probably been infected. Of course, dangerous nitrates, phosphates,chemicals, and insecticides would still be a part of the water.

The Delhi Government has been contemplating introducing equipment to remove nitrates and phosphates for quite some time.

Delhi boasts nine Water treatment plants, 5,200 Tubewells, and 11 Ranney Wells on the Yamuna banks. As per CPCB, 91 % of the groundwater is over exploited or critical. Water supplied from Tube wells is chlorinated but contains chemical pollution, rendering it unsafe to drink.

By the time the Yamuna leaves Delhi, water quality is further deteriorated by the number of drains pouring in untreated sewage.

The Yamuna River, one of India’s most significant, has been completely destroyed in the past few decades. During the monsoons, watershed from Uttrakhand, HP, UP, Haryana, and Delhi floods the river to dangerous levels. At this time, the river flushes out all the accumulated debris and waste, carrying it to the Ganga in Allahabad and onwards to the Bay of Bengal.

Conclusion

Many people living in the Yamuna River valley are descendants of the Indus—Saraswati Valley Civilisation and the Indo-Aryans who followed.

The Government of India has been developing Pharaonic-scale plans to solve the issues of Groundwater and the Yamuna River for decades.

97 million people living in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi who gained from the bounty of clean Groundwater and the Yamuna River have absolutely destroyed these irreplaceable natural resources covering a land mass of 95,000 Square Km’s.

India, with a population of 1400 million, has thousands of rivers and water bodies. Every river and water body faces a similar tragedy.

General Information

Water covers 71 % of the Earth’s surface, but only 2.5% is fresh. Of this, 70% is unavailable as it is in the form of snow, ice, glaciers, and permafrost. Only the remaining 30%, which includes groundwater, is available.

India has 17% of the world’s population and only 4% of its fresh water.

According to the World Resource Institute, 600 million Indians live in extreme water crises. According to Niti Aayog, 40% of India’s population will have no access to water by 2030.

Afterthought

For his own survival, Man needs to reflect on his true nature and relationship with Mother Nature.

"Can it be true that Man is a greedy, selfish, arrogant, and nihilistic creature who destroys what he touches? Can it be true that Man wears a deceptive veil woven by mythical gods? A veil of holiness, goodness, piety, sharing, and empathy. A delusional belief that he is the saviour. A distorted construct of civilization, justice, music, and poetry to justify his depravity. Is Man blind to his own reality?”

“Is Man, Oedipus-like, cursed to violate Mother Nature.”

“Time has come for Man to remove the veil and, like Dorian Gray, look into a mirror. That is the solution”.