Unicolour meeting point of Ganga, Yamuna Similar Water Colour Due To High Pollution Makes Identification of Their Meeting Point Difficult

Allahabad: Jagan, a boatman at the Sangam, serving the pilgrims for over a decade, is perplexed these days. The reason being that this experienced boatman is not able to demarcate the meeting point of river Ganga and Yamuna, which was in earlier years so clear — Ganga being muddish while Yamuna being dark green.
TOI visited the Sangam on Monday to get a feel of the existing situation. It was found that the water of both the river has drastically changed the colour. “ We all know that the colour of Ganga has always been muddish while that of Yamuna is dark green and the same was quiet visible till last year. But this year it is very hard to make out the difference the meeting point,” Papu Nishad, a boatman said.
Recently, the media had reported that Ganga is turning blackish in colour and that was due to the effluents of paper mills situated along the Dhela, Kosi and Ramganga rivers, the tributaries of the Ganga in Uttarakhand.
“After getting the news, our department checked the sample of water at Moradabad and found that it was polluted because of which the river could have changed its colour. Later, the pollution control board wrote to authorities concerned. The effluents are being checked and the level of pollution has come down, but since the volume of water in Ganga has declined, the amount of silt has increased.
These two factors, acting simultaneously, are responsible for the present colour of water in Ganga,” an official of UP pollution control board said.
The pollution in Yamuna and its tributaries is also increasing. More the pollution, more are the chances that the river water would lose its original colour i.e. dark green, said A K Rai, who has done extensive research on the pollution of Ganga in Kanpur. “I have come back to Allahabad after five years with my friends to see the different colours of the two rivers. But after coming to Sangam, I am confused as to where is the meeting point of the two rivers. The water of both Ganga and Yamuna is more or less the same colour,” said an AU alumni.


LOST IDENTITY: (Above and inset) The meeting point of the two rivers (Sangam) where it is hard to identify the difference in colour