Yamuna near Taj Mahal heavily polluted with Microplastics, CSE study warns

A recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found alarming concentrations of microplastic pollution in a 12-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna riverbed near the Taj Mahal. Among four sites studied, this section showed the highest sediment contamination, with 800 microplastic particles per kilogram, significantly higher than Poiya Ghat (480 mps), Parvathi Ghat, and Balkeshwar Ghat (600 mps). The main sources were identified as runoff from cloth-washing, plastic packaging, tyre wear, and fabric waste. Textile fibres constituted 57 per cent of detected particles, followed by fragments from packaging at 36 per cent. Black particles, often linked to tyre wear, made up 27 per cent of the total, with yellow microplastics forming 21 per cent.

Toxic fibre and tyre particles dominate sediment pollution

The study began in 2024 and included sampling of both surface water and sediment. Although there are no current legal limits for microplastics in India, the CSE flagged the findings as well above levels recorded in other rivers, including the Ganga, where sediment samples from Bengal had shown 428 mps. The report was shared at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute in Rajasthan and has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Surface water also contaminated, raising health concerns

In surface water samples, the Taj Mahal stretch recorded the second-highest level of microplastics, with 17 particles per cubic metre.

Hathi Ghat, located downstream, reported the highest concentration at 46 mps, attributed to heavy wastewater discharge and industrial-scale cloth-washing. Despite lower figures compared to sediment, researchers emphasised the health risks posed by long-term exposure. Microplastics — ranging from 1 nanometre to 5 millimetres — can enter the body through water or food and are known to cross the blood-brain barrier and placenta, potentially causing inflammation, vascular damage, and hormone disruption.

Experts warn that given the Yamuna’s role in providing water and fish for local populations, the high contamination levels pose both ecological and public health risks. The CSE has called for further monitoring and clearer regulatory frameworks, especially as similar assessments of other Indian rivers are underway.