Improving the present condition of River Yamuna, project sponsored by Board of Research in Nuclear Science

Being considered as a holy river, the Yamuna River plays an important role in farming and agriculture in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and other states. The water of the Yamuna River is used for irrigation purposes of the farming lands present in various North Indian states.

Pollution in River Yamuna

Also, the Yamuna River supplies pure and drinking water to many of the North Indian states. Yamuna’s water was used for farming in the Indo-Gangetic plains even in ancient India, during the Vedic period. There are several canals built for the supply of the Yamuna water in various states in India. But over the time, the water quality of River Yamuna has been reduced drastically due to increased water pollution. So, cleaning river Yamuna is serious matter of concern because polluted river water can contaminate nearby aquifers which are major sources of fresh ground water.

Hence to assess the pollution level of River Yamuna and to study the effect of pollution on ground water in nearby places in Mathura, a team of researchers from GLA University, Mathura proposed a project titled “Assessment of Yamuna River pollution and its transport to ground water using Isotope Hydrology” which was accepted by Board of Research in Nuclear Science, India and GLA University, Mathura received a grant of 34 Lakh Rupees for this noble project.

GLA University, Mathura congratulates Dr Kunwar Raghvendra Singh, Dr Subhash Tripathi, and Dr Smita Tung for grant of this project of social and environmental concern. 

This project has duration of 2 years and following the major objectives:

• To assess the source and distribution of hazardous metallic pollutants in River Yamuna between Tajewala Barrage and Panchnanda village.
• To determine the zones of interactions between the surface water and ground water in the highly polluted regions of River Yamuna basin.
• To understand the impact of contaminated region/zone of the Yamuna River on the ground water.
• To propose effective strategy and regulatory control in accordance with CPCB guidelines for restoration of ailing water resources under proposed study.

Prof. Sudhir Kumar Goyal
Head, Civil Engineering

Prof. Sudhir Kumar Goyal, Head, Department of Civil Engineering said that this project will provide an opportunity  to the students of civil engineering including UG, PG and Research Scholars to work on the project and learn practical knowledge & experience of environmental and water resource engineering. This will also benefit the undergraduate students who want to make their career, specialized in environmental engineering and water resource engineering.

Prof. Kamal Sharma
Dean R & D

On the grant of this sponsored project, Prof. Kamal Sharma, Dean Research praised the team members and said that it is an example of the great team work. Dr K. R. Singh is from Environmental Engineering, Dr Subhash Tripathi is from Chemistry and Dr Smita Tung is from Geotechnical Engineering. With the combination of their expertise, they can achieve the project objectives successfully within the time duration. Further, he added that the researchers using their expertise for the welfare of society and environment is a matter of pride for the GLA University, Mathura.