New Delhi, April 10 The Delhi Pollution Control Committee's (DPCC) latest data on the water quality of the Yamuna for March shows a further rise in fecal coliform levels, compared to the months of January and February, indicating that a significant amount of untreated sewage is entering the river.
The report also shows high levels of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), a measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen required by microorganisms to break down organic matter in water – a higher BOD value indicates higher levels of pollution, often leading to oxygen depletion and harm to aquatic life.
The DPCC's water quality testing involves collecting water samples from eight locations along the course of the Yamuna through the capital, measuring several parameters such as BOD, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, pH, and fecal coliform, to determine the pollution level.
These eight locations include Palla, Wazirabad, ISBT Bridge, ITO Bridge, Nizamuddin Bridge, Hindon Cut, Okhla Barrage and Asgarpur in Kidwali, Haryana.
The March report shows fecal coliform levels as high as 400,000 Most Probable Number per 100 millilitres (MPN/100 ml) at Asgarpur, which far exceeds the permissible limit of 2,500 and the desirable level of 500.
The level at the same site was 350,000 MPN/100 ml in January and 92,000 MPN/100 ml in February 2026.
Among the eight locations, only one has shown improvement since January. The fecal coliform level at ISBT Bridge was recorded at 160,000 MPN/100 ml, compared to 110,000 MPN/100 ml in February and 220,000 MPN/100 ml in January.
Other locations which had shown a dip in coliform levels from January to February have witnessed a sharp rise in March.
Palla recorded a relatively lower coliform level at 3,200 MPN/100 ml compared to December 2025, when fecal coliform levels peaked at 92,000 MPN/100 ml, a significant rise from 24,000 MPN/100 ml in November 2025 and 8,000 MPN/100 ml in October 2025.
BOD levels for March also showed alarming readings, ranging from 2-60 milligrams per litre (mg/l), while the water quality criteria stipulated a maximum of 3 mg/l, with the highest BOD recorded at Asgarpur at 60 mg/l. The BOD at Asgarpur last month was 34 mg/l.
The DPCC has also uploaded the data for Delhi's drains for March, while the data on analysis of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) for March are yet to be uploaded.
While these reports are supposed to be uploaded at least once every month, recent delays in the January and February reports had attracted concerns from activists, who stressed that regular assessment of pollution levels of the river was most crucial, especially during the post-monsoon period, when the river flow reduces, leading to a spike in pollution.
