Ecological significance
Like Ganga, the Yamuna River also supports a wide variety of plant and animal species. The river is home to thousands of resident and migratory birds. The banks of the river are one of the last refuges for the dwindling populations of blackbucks, chitals, nilgais etc.
River Yamuna is the largest tributary of Ganga. It serves as the lifeline to lakhs of people living on its banks. It provides drinking water and is also used for irrigating vast agricultural lands. The cities and towns on the bank extract large quantities of water and discharge a variety of pollutants, making Yamuna one of the most polluted rivers in the country. As a result of the over-exploitation, the river in several stretches flows like a small, highly polluted rivulet.
The Yamuna Action Plan was implemented in 1993 for water pollution abatement and for the conservation of the river Yamuna.
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