10 Most Polluted Rivers in the World

Ever heard the phrase, “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” Sadly, This is an all too common occurrence around the world, as this list of ten polluted rivers will show.

10. Ganges River

The Ganges River is one of the major rivers and holy sources for Hindu. Many believe that bathing in the water can cleanse them of all of their sins. However, it has become such a polluted river that it is difficult to swim in it and many die because they do not know how much pollution is really there.

The Ganges River pollution is a serious, long-term problem. The pollution is caused by the disposal of raw sewage and municipal waste, industrial effluents, agricultural run-off, and pesticide use.

Efforts have been made by locals and governments to build facilities that clean up the water before it reaches the river. These include sewage treatment plants, landfills, and water treatment plants.

9. Citarum River

The Citarum River is the most polluted river in Indonesia. The river is used as a source of drinking water and also generates energy on the surface. Since before colonial times, the Citarum River has been polluted by the local population and its industries.

After many years of heavy industrial use, decades of massive deforestation, and illegal waste dumping. People have realized the Citarum is toxic and unsafe to drink. The resulting water pollution has been tested at levels well above the Indonesian Ministry of Public Health's safety standards for residential use. However, these people are known as some of Indonesia’s poorest citizens and will most likely never see a clean river again while they live there.

In recent decades, efforts have been made to clean up the river by constructing industrial wastewater treatment plants, removing open sewers, and upgrading sewage treatment facilities.

8. Yellow River

The Yellow River is China's second-longest river, after the Yangtze. Its name comes from the color of the silt that gives it its tint and that flows down from China’s Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province.

The Yellow River, which is China's second-longest river, is one that has been massively polluted by heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Due to rapid urbanization along its course, many factories were built along the Yellow River to produce goods for the growing population.

These factories released heavy metals into their surrounding environment. Including sewage, industrial and chemical waste, and heavy metal poisoning caused by arsenic. This caused massive pollution in the river.

7. Mississippi River

The main contributor to the pollution in the Mississippi River is the agricultural runoff and the petrochemical industry. According to the EPA, The Mississippi River Watershed drains 31 states, covering approximately 2.66 million square miles.

The main sources of pollution include cleanup of uncontrolled spills or leaking storage tanks, agriculture (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides), sewage treatment, industrial discharges (e.g., paper mills), mining seepage, and trash & debris from residential areas that flow into storm drains. As a result, there were many fish kills and human impacts resulting from this pollution.

Environmental laws that enforced the closing of some of these polluting plants helped reduce river pollution. But, it will be expensive to clean up all of it by dredging out contaminated sediment or building solar-powered barriers to keep pollutants from entering the ecosystem.

6. Nile River

The River Nile is one of the key sources of water and food in Egypt. The Nile pollution is due to use of pesticides and fertilizers. This can be attributed to the lack of adequate laws and monitoring, and also to population growth, as well as increased industrialization, which caused heavy metal pollution.

The pollution of this river has greatly affected the overall health of the people who live there. Waterborne diseases are common, and the low-quality water causes a high amount of diarrhea. Additionally, agriculture has declined due to poor land quality caused by pollution.

The Egyptian government is working on cleaning up the river, which is vital to their country's lifeblood.

5. River Plate

The River Plate, not to be confused with Plat River the soccer team, is a river that runs along the border between Argentina and Uruguay. It is the most important river in South America.

Plate River pollution is an environmental problem that affects the water quality of the rivers in Argentina. The Plate River bank at the outlet of Lake Buenos Aires has been contaminated because it receives raw sewage and other pollutants from San Antonio de Areco, a town of about 70,000 inhabitants that was connected to the system before it was even fully built.

In addition, waste management has worsened since 2002 when a dry toilet association finished construction on its latest pile treatment plant in San Antonio de Areco, which had not been used until then.

4. Rio Grande

The Rio Grande River is one of the longest rivers in North America. A transboundary river that flows through both Texas and Mexico, it serves as a source of water for both countries. The Rio Grande offers municipal and industrial water supplies, as well as an important fishing and recreational opportunities. However, due to pollution from agrochemicals, untreated sewage, trash disposal, and climate change, the river has suffered considerable harm over the years.

The Rio Grande is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In 2014, nearly 1 million gallons of oil spilled into the river and killed countless fish and other wildlife. The river is still recovering from this spill, but there have been no major efforts to clean up.

Efforts are underway to clean up this important resource, so it may continue to provide vital resources for both Texans and Mexicans.

3. River Danube

The River Danube is one of Europe's largest freshwater bodies, with a catchment area spanning eight countries and 4,081 km. It has been polluted since the industrial revolution and is considered unhealthy to eat from due to a high count of bacteria.

The River Danube is one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. Pollution comes from industrial development, agriculture, and sewage systems. It flows through ten different countries and many smaller rivers, causing a huge amount of pollution. The river is also exposed to contamination by chemicals from factories and mines, organic waste from agriculture and households, as well as the presence of toxins in pesticides.

The European Union has spent over €1 billion on cleanups in recent years, using technology like mechanical sewer treatment pumps, wastewater treatment plants, and riverbank stabilization to reduce pollution levels.

2. River Neva

The Neva is the largest and most famous river in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The river flows approximately 584 kilometers (363 mi) from Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland. It is navigable for 503 kilometers (314 mi) which corresponds to about 80% of its length and the average water flow at the mouth is 16 cubic meters per second.

The Neva River is seriously polluted, which pollutes the water and soil of this region. The main cause of this pollution is the oil spill that occurred in Ufa in 2009. At present, a system of primary treatment was created on the Neva River by Pervouralsk city authorities, whose full cost amounted to over 60 million rubles. This system will be fully commissioned on January 1, 2021.

The Cuyahoga River

The Cuyahoga River, which runs through Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. It is held responsible for two oil spills and had caught on fire 12 times from 1952 to 1969. The constant pollution and fires resulted in Lake Erie’s pollution, which made it uninhabitable for fish and other wildlife. After the 1969 fire, officials began work to clean up the river by reducing sewage discharges into it, restoring stream banks, and creating reservoirs for stormwater runoff. In 1969 officials enacted legislation requiring industries to clean up their messes. However, it still has some work left in it. Today, there are many efforts underway to clean up the Cuyahoga River, including removing the chemical PCBs.