The dirtiest river in the world November 1st, 2017

It's no secret that man's influence on nature is great, and often colossal harm is caused to Mother Nature. Nowadays, it is no longer uncommon to find places on the planet where environmental pollution has reached enormous proportions.

For example, the Citarum River is an Indonesian landmark that you should not be proud of...

It is a known fact that certain human activities have a detrimental effect on nature. Over the past 50 years, people have polluted the environment, as they could not in the entire previous history of human existence. There are many cases when a person, through his influence, caused many lakes or rivers to disappear or dry up. Just look at the value of the Aral Sea, of which only 10% remains.

It’s amazing how, over the course of just a few decades, people were able to defile once picturesque Indonesian places like this. You look at the river and don’t believe that there is water under the “garbage blanket”. Let's learn some surprising facts about the most polluted source of water on Earth and the life of Indonesians on its shores.

Indonesia is an Asian island country, with numerous large and small islands washed by salty ocean waters. It is clear that in such a situation, fresh water is worth its weight in gold. There has never been a shortage of it; there are many rivers in Indonesia, although the water level in them is seasonal. On one of the largest Indonesian islands, the island of Java, the main waterway supplying people with water for all needs (including drinking) was the Citarum River. But in the recent past, from a full-flowing, beautiful river, it turned into a fetid stream, in which, due to tons of rotting garbage, no water is visible at all.

The river is located in West Java, Indonesia. This is the dirtiest river in the world. However, the water is used for water supply, to support agriculture, for industrial purposes, etc. The Citarum River is not very large. The width is only 10 m maximum, the depth is even less - 5 m, but its length reaches 300 km. It originates in Indonesia, stretches along the entire western Java, and also flows near the capital Jakarta. The river flows into the Java Sea.

The reason for such a sad environmental situation was industrialization, which began in 1980. Now more than 500 organizations dump their waste into rivers. In addition, all household waste and sewage end up in Citarum. This is the waste of more than 9 million people! In 2008, funds were allocated to clean up the river, but this did little to help. It will take several more decades to completely clean the river.

Not so long ago, the river was rich in fish, trills and singing birds, and flowering gardens grew on the banks. Now you can only see plastic trash. The fish have been extinct for a long time. Only bacteria spread here.

Blame it on Indonesia's industrialization. The country began to develop rapidly, building numerous industrial plants and factories (more than five hundred). A large percentage of them are located on the island of Java. Water is needed in production, so many industrial enterprises were also built along the banks of the Citarum River. Either in pursuit of profit, or because of an unwillingness to take care of the environment, or because of the stupidity of the authorities, absolutely all enterprises did not build expensive treatment facilities and engage in waste disposal, but took the path of least resistance: all waste production facilities were dumped and poured into the river. Cities also contributed, replenishing the water level in Citarum with sewage.

You see the result. Stinking and decomposing in a fetid liquid - it’s hard to call it water - the garbage, like a fur coat, covers the entire three-hundred-kilometer riverbed.

Imagine what it’s like for residents of small coastal settlements for whom Citarum waters are the only source of water, which is used not only for irrigation of agricultural land, but also for washing, cleaning and drinking.

Nightmare! But, as you know, a person can get used to a lot and adapt to the most terrible conditions of existence. This happened this time too. Practically poor people have no opportunity to move to other places, so they can only survive in such extreme conditions.

Although this is very difficult, since the polluted river led to the almost complete disappearance of coastal vegetation, and, accordingly, to the disappearance of animals and birds that previously lived in these places.

The fish also disappeared. If “out of stupidity” some school swims into these waters, it quickly floats up belly up. Local residents can only rejoice at this “lifeless harvest.”

Children are children, even in such conditions they are able to find entertainment for themselves, for example, swimming.

The adults also managed to find some small benefit from the polluted river. They get into boats and go fishing. No, not fishy, ​​but “garbage”. People throw around in floating waste and try to find something that they can sell for next to nothing, for example, plastic containers. Some people are lucky - they manage to find things that can be sold, of course, having first cleaned them and given them a marketable appearance. And they leave something for themselves.

Citarum water was also used to irrigate rice fields, and rice here is the only source of income for many. But what kind of harvest can there be if the fields are irrigated with water in which the content of harmful impurities is several times higher than the permissible norm? But the locals also drink this kind of water, which, of course, does not add to their health. Of course, the water is boiled before use. But this only kills harmful bacteria, but leaves heavy metal salts and various toxic impurities. These places have the highest percentage of people suffering from many serious diseases.

The Indonesian authorities understand that they urgently need to take measures to “revive” the Citarum River, but this requires huge funds, which the country does not have. Therefore, for now, the Indonesians have a disgusting attraction that is known to the whole world, and a big headache for the population forced to live with it.

Sources:

5 Rating 5.00

- 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 votes

River Citarum. The dirtiest river in the world

Citarum- a real environmental disaster. Its waters are filled with tons of household waste. Nine million people clog the river every day. There are no garbage collection services on the island, and there are no modern toilets. Everything flows straight into the river.

Located on the Indonesian island of Java, it is rightfully considered one of the dirtiest rivers on the planet. In the past, it was a calm and deep river, the waters of which served to irrigate rice fields, and local residents used this river for their daily needs. Today Citarum- a real environmental disaster. Its waters are filled with tons of household waste. Nine million people clog the river every day. There are no garbage collection services on the island, and there are no modern toilets. Everything flows straight into the river on the banks Citarum There are more than 500 textile factories. There is no question of waste disposal here; all waste is simply dumped into the river. Often the water is not even visible under the trash carpet. Only the boats on which people float and catch useful rubbish remind us that this cesspool was once a river. Contaminated water soaks into the ground where the rice fields are located, local residents take water at their own risk Citarum for home use. Citarum- one of the two rivers of the island, flowing into Lake Saguling. One of the largest hydroelectric power stations in the country is located here. Scientists predict that if the river continues to be polluted, the power plant will not be able to operate properly and millions of people will be left without electricity.

It has long been no secret that most types of human activity have a destructive effect on the environment. For the desire to live in comfortable conditions, humanity pays with dirty air and poisoned water bodies. Sadly, over the past hundred years, marked by an unprecedented rise in various spheres of production, people have destroyed more natural resources than in the entire previous history of their existence. Today we invite you on a virtual tour of the dirtiest river on the planet that you can imagine - the Citarum River, which flows in the west.

Citarum River, Indonesia

It’s hard to believe, but just half a century ago no one would have dared to call the Citarum River the dirtiest in the world. She calmly carried her waters across the territory of West Java, being a source of livelihood for all surrounding residents. The main way for the local population to earn a living was fishing and growing rice, the water for which also came from Citarum. The river was so deep that on Lake Saguling, which it feeds, French engineers were even able to build the largest hydroelectric power station.

But the rise of industry that began in the 1980s put an end to the environmental well-being of the entire Citarum River basin. More than 500 different industrial enterprises have appeared on the banks of the river like mushrooms after rain, each of which sends all its waste directly into the river.

Despite the fairly rapid development of industry, in terms of sanitary conditions, Indonesia was and remains at the lowest level. Therefore, there is no talk here of centralized removal and disposal of household waste, or of laying sewers and constructing treatment facilities. All of them indiscriminately go into the waters of the Citarum River.

Today, the state of the Citarum River can, without any exaggeration, be called critical. An unprepared person today is unlikely to be able to guess that a river is hidden under piles of all kinds of rubbish. Only light boats slowly sailing through huge piles of rotting waste can suggest that there is water down there.

Given the current circumstances, most local residents changed their specialization. Now the main source of income for them is not fishing, but objects thrown into the river. Every morning, local men and teenagers go to the floating dump in the hope that their catch will be successful and the items found can be washed and sold. Sometimes they get lucky and the scavenger hunt brings in about 1.5-2 pounds a week. In most cases, the search for treasures leads to serious illnesses, and often to the death of the miner.

But even those local residents who can afford not to collect waste are not completely free from the risk of getting sick. The thing is that despite the overwhelming content of harmful substances, Citarum, as before, remains the only source of drinking water for all surrounding settlements. That is, local residents are forced to cook food and drink water practically from a garbage dump.

More than 5 years ago, the Asian Development Bank allocated more than 500 million North American dollars to clean up Citarum. But, despite such a powerful injection of money, the shores of Citarum are still hidden under piles of garbage. Environmentalists predict that in the near future the garbage will become so shallow in the river that the power plant that feeds from it will also stop operating. Perhaps then, after the closure of the enterprises located on the banks of the Citarum, the situation will improve at least a little.

Citarum- the river flows in Indonesia and West Java. The length of the river is 300 kilometers. It is the dirtiest river in the world.

How the river became polluted

When it was a beautiful and clean river that fed fish and supplied fresh water to millions of people living along the river. Pollution of the river began with rapid industrialization in the late 1980s. The once beautiful Citarum became a sewer for the factories located along the river, and in a short period of time, approximately 500 large factories were built along the river, each of which discharged waste into the river. Subject to the herd instinct, following the factories, the population living along the river, which is five million people, began to throw garbage into the river. As a result, the Citarum River is in conditions of an environmental disaster; tons of household waste have accumulated in the river. The river surface is completely covered with a thick layer of debris.

Diseases in the river

I think it will not surprise anyone that such an amount of dirt contributes to a huge number of diseases. And the result is a variety of waterborne diseases, including such dangerous ones as dysentery, typhus, cholera and hepatitis.

• On December 5, 2008, the Asian Development Bank allocated a $500 million loan to clean up the river.
• In 2008, the Citarum River was recognized as the dirtiest river in the world.

Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems of the modern world. But it’s one thing when this pollution is not visible to the naked eye - extra molecules in the air or remnants of winter reagents on the roads are not noticeable, and therefore do not evoke any special emotions. But when you look at these photographs depicting rivers killed by man, you understand that environmental pollution can bring death to humanity!

Marilao River, Philippines
Marilao is one of the 50 dead rivers in the Philippines. Industrial effluents from numerous industrial enterprises and garbage thrown into the water by the 250 thousand inhabitants living on its banks have killed all life in the river. Today Greenpeace has launched a campaign to save Marilao, but the Philippine government, unfortunately, is not yet interested in this problem.

Han River, China
The Han River is now completely covered with a layer of algae due to severe water pollution from industrial wastewater.

Yamuna River, India
The Yamuna is one of the sacred rivers of India and the main source of drinking water for the city of New Delhi. But residents and municipal authorities of New Delhi do not seem to care: 58% of the city's sewage discharge goes straight to the Yamuna. In its waters you can find anything - from dead bodies to toxic impurities and household waste. The Indian authorities recognize the problem, but do not take any effective measures.

Citarum River, Indonesia
This river is officially recognized as the dirtiest on the planet. More than 5 million people live on its shores, and every year about 50 thousand of them die due to its pollution. The most annoying thing is that the main source of pollution is household garbage, which residents habitually throw into the water. Today, according to experts, about 6 million tons of garbage have accumulated in the waters of Citarum.

Huangpu River, China
Huangpu is the main source of drinking water for Shanghai. At the same time, the river waters are full of household waste and toxic chemicals. Shanghai residents seem to have become accustomed to this. However, an incident that happened in 2013 shocked even them. Then local farmers dumped 16 thousand pig corpses into Huangpu. True, when the wave of indignation subsided, everything remained the same.

Niger River, Nigeria
The Niger Delta is the main source of Nigerian oil production and at the same time the most oil-polluted river delta in the world. Every year, up to 240 thousand barrels of oil are dumped into the Niger Delta. For 25 years, from 1976 to 2001, real environmental disasters occurred here annually, associated with large emissions of petroleum products into the Niger Delta. However, the country's government is more concerned about oil production than the environment.

Pasig River, Philippines
Local residents have been walking along the Pasig River on dry land for a long time. But this is not a miracle, but the result of the fact that Filipinos living on the banks of Pasig massively dump household garbage into the water. Every day, about 1,500 tons (!) of household waste enter Pasig.

Red River, China
The Red River is located in Wenzhou County, China. True, it received its name quite recently. The waters of the river turned red in 2014, when one of the local enterprises dumped an unknown chemical dye here. Over the past two years, the authorities have not been able to find the culprit; the waters of the river, which used to be a source of drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people, have not returned to their original color, and the new name of the river has already become familiar to local residents and, it seems, will remain with her forever.

Ganges River, India
The Ganges River is the largest and most sacred river in India. Numerous religious ceremonies are performed in the waters of the Ganges every day, including funerals, during which the body of the deceased is simply released to float along the sacred waters of the Ganges. After this, Hindus without embarrassment take a bath in the Ganges, bathe and even drink from the river!

Mississippi, USA
The Mississippi has always been considered America's most iconic river. But today it is also the dirtiest in the United States. And all thanks to industrial waste. In 2010, US industrial companies released 12.7 million tons of toxic chemicals into Mississippi waters. And in 2014, General Electric completed the job by dumping 31,000 gallons of crude oil into Mississippi. So today, swimming in the Mississippi is strictly not recommended.

Lakes of Rajasthan, India
Rajasthan's lake system - Jal Mahal, Jaisamand and Udaysagar lakes - is considered the dirtiest lake system in the world. Factories located on the shores of lakes have been dumping garbage into them for decades and draining wastewater contaminated with toxic chemicals. Director of the Indian Center for Environmental Studies Sunita Narain is sounding the alarm, saying that lake pollution threatens the environment in India as a whole. But for now, lakes covered with garbage remain an ulcer on the body of the Earth.

Rivers of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The whole world learned with horror about the monstrous level of pollution in the Rio de Janeiro water basin on the eve of the 2016 Olympic Games. Water athletes spoke with indignation about rowing competitions in monstrously dirty water, which the country's authorities did not manage to clean up for the Olympics. But even after the Games nothing changed. Industrial enterprises in Rio continue to dump waste into city rivers, and Brazilian federal legislation does not allow the culprits to be properly punished. Tens of thousands of fish, floating belly up, have long become a familiar part of the local landscape.

Cuyahoga River, Ohio, USA
The Cuyahoga River in industrial Cleveland was one of the first in the world to experience all the environmental “delights” of industrialization. Its pollution by industrial waste has continued since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1969, a factory on the river bank burned down, after which the water condition deteriorated sharply. During this time, more than a dozen species of aquatic life became extinct in Cuyahoga.

Matanza Riachuelo, Argentina
Seven million people living along the banks of the Matanza-Riachuelo River in Argentina experience ongoing health problems. But industrialists do not care: enterprises located on the banks of the river discharge toxic waste directly into the river. To be fair, it should be noted that residents of the surrounding areas also contribute to the pollution of the river with household waste. As a result, about 3 million cubic meters of dirt enter Matanza Riachuelo every day - from chemical industrial waste to household waste.

Jinghe River, China
Looks familiar, doesn't it? But this is not the Red River, but the Bloody River. Its official name is Jinghe, but locals haven't called it that for a long time, not since a local factory that produces New Year's decorations and fireworks began dumping industrial waste containing dyes into Jinghe. The most incredible thing is that government agencies persistently declare: the water in the river is quite clean, and its color is simply not worth paying attention to.