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Ecological
significance
Like the Ganga, the Yamuna 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, and 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 it 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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