Delhi's Yamuna is nothing...the water of this 'old Ganga' is black, people call it the Dead River

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During the Delhi elections, the issue of pollution in Yamuna and Ganga has been dominating. While campaigning for the Delhi elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath targeted the pollution spread in the Yamuna river, after which Akhilesh Yadav attacked Yogi and raised the issue of pollution spread in the Ganga. The issue of pollution in rivers keeps coming up from time to time in India.

Ganga and Yamuna are among the most polluted rivers in the world. But there is also a river which is known as the Dead River. The water of this river has turned completely black and there is so much pollution in it that even the fishes are not left in the river. Bariganga of the neighboring country Bangladesh, which is known as Purani River, is one of the dirtiest rivers in the world.

This river, popularly known as Old Ganga or Purani Ganga, is so polluted that its water appears black throughout the year except during the monsoon months and stinks all the time. A large part of it flows through Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. In a country with a population of about 17 crore, about 2.3 crore people live in Dhaka and a large part of its population depends on rivers for livelihood and transportation, but the Bangladesh government has not been able to take any major steps to clean the rivers.

Why is the old Ganga dirty?

This river which was once the source of livelihood for the people of Bangladesh has now become a dirty drain. The biggest reason for this is the textile business here, after China, Bangladesh is the world's largest textile manufacturer. Environmental activists say that the continuous growth of trade is the main reason for the river's decline.

Sewage from nearby mills and factories containing textile dyeing products and other chemicals are dumped into the river every day. Also, polythene and plastic waste dumped into the river has made its bed shallow and has also changed its course.

Bangladesh Garments Manufacturing and Export Association (BGMEAR) has clear orders that all garment factories must have water treatment plants. In reality, most factories do not follow this guideline and every day chemical-laden water falls from these factories into the Parani Ganga.

Unable to get clear

The population of Dhaka is affected by the pollution of the Parani Ganga every day. Local authorities have not been able to solve the problem of pollution on such a large scale, so the Parani Ganga is now a dead river, whose water is not drinkable and in which there are no fish. However, despite so much dirt, Bangladeshis have not been stopped from swimming and washing clothes in the river, even today laundrymen wash clothes on a large scale using the water of this river.