2023: Which are the most polluted rivers in India?

The recently released State of the Environment (SOE) Report 2023 by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has shed light on the deteriorating state of India's rivers. The report reveals that about 46% of the country's rivers, including major water bodies like the Ganges, are dealing with pollution issues.

Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh emerge as the states with the highest number of polluted rivers, while Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Punjab top the list in terms of lethal pollution levels in terms of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD).

Polluted rivers in India

According to SOE's comprehensive report, a total of 279 rivers in 30 states of India, accounting for 46% of the country's rivers, are suffering from pollution. While this figure reflects a marginal improvement compared to the 2018 data, where 323 rivers in 31 states were polluted, the overall situation remains very concerning.

Maharashtra tops the list with 55 polluted rivers, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 19. Bihar and Kerala each have 18 polluted rivers, while Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka each have 17. The report also identifies Rajasthan, Gujarat, Manipur and West Bengal among the states with a significant number of polluted rivers.

One of the alarming aspects that the SOE report highlights is the levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD) in several contaminated river sites, which turned out to be up to 10 times higher than the permissible limit. BOD is an essential indicator of water quality, and levels that exceed the standard imply a decrease in oxygen levels and an urgent need for additional oxygen to remove organic matter.

The report reveals that Uttar Pradesh is facing the worst situation in terms of BOD contamination, with 20 monitoring stations recording levels above 30 mg per liter, exceeding the permissible limit of 3 mg per liter. Punjab is close behind with 19 of these monitoring stations, while Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have 10 each.

Among the most affected rivers, the Ganges tops the list with BOD levels exceeding the limit in 49 places, followed by Yamuna (35), Godavari (31), Ghaggar (27), Gomti (20), Kaveri (15), Damodar (12), Krishna (12), Bhavani (11), Hindon (11), Satluj (11) and Musi (10).

Rivers with six or more polluted locations

Of the total 1,920 monitoring sites in the country, 43% (817 sites) witnessed inadequate river water quality for bathing between 2019 and 2021. The data highlights the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the deterioration of the conditions of India's rivers and protect the health of its ecosystems.

Five Polluted Locations (10 Rivers)

Four Polluted Locations (12 Rivers)

Three Polluted Locations (24 Rivers)

Two Polluted Locations (58 Rivers)

One Polluted Location (142 Rivers)

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