16 December 2023 , 11:20
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Rivers around the world are people’s lifeblood, as they provide freshwater and food for people to fish - but many of the world’s biggest are unfit for humans.
Pollution, both manmade and natural, fills the waters of several of the world’s largest waterways and their conservation is vital for the planet. Delicate ecosystems could be destroyed for good if action is not taken to rid them of horrors. Many have been polluted by the very people who rely on them most, with untreated human waste flowing through the water many have to drink.
In some places the issue has been caused by the huge increase of the human population, while others have been damaged by toxic waste leaked from industrialisation. Below are five of the most polluted rivers across the world.
The Citarum river is full of waste (AFP/Getty Images)The Ganges
The third largest in the world is believed to be the most polluted river in the world. Sacred to the people of India, it is believed to cleanse the people of the sins and used by two billion people who wash and drink the water on its 2,525 km length.
However, it is believed more than one billion gallons of raw sewage and industrial waste is unleashed into the river every day, bringing disease and possible death. It is known to cause illnesses including dysentery, cholera, hepatitis and severe diarrhoea which is one of the main causes of death of children in India.
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Yellow River
The Yellow River, or the ai-Huaih Yellow River, in China the sixth longest in the world and known for its distinctive colouring caused by its colourful sediment. Its water is toxic and home to industrial waste from the likes of chemical factories. Research has shown more than 80% of the river is polluted.
Doce River
The Doce river was heavily polluted in a disaster in 2015 (Antonio Lacerda/EPA/REX/Shutterstock)The Doce River flows though southeastern Brazil and was once a source of freshwater for millions of people. However, in 2015 two dams ruptured and contaminated its 853km length with 50 million tons of iron ore sludge and mud. The ecological disaster killed 19 people as well as polluting the river and devastated the wildlife. Many people relied on the river for their livelihoods as they fished and used its water to grow crops - which has now been lost.
Citarum River
The Citarum flows through Indonesia and serves a huge population. Along its banks are 2,000 factories and industrial waste has increased its mercury levels beyond the point of human consumption. Its waters are full of the likes of lead, mercury, arsenic, and other toxins. A project known as Citarum Repair is attempting to clean and restore the river by 2025.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is one of the longest rivers in the world at 3,766km and brown in colour because of the sheer amount of waste released into it. Several oil spill disasters have also occurred over the years, causing yet more issues on the waters.