*1st Feb, 2025* *News of the Day* *Why Yamuna in Delhi has high ammonia levels* Easily dissolvable in water, ammonia is a colourless, gaseous chemical with a sharp odour, which is widely used in industrial processes. For instance, it is used as fertiliser, coolant, cleansing agents, food additives, and in animal feed production, plastic and paper manufacturing. *Sources of Ammonia* Major sources of ammonia pollution include fertliser rich runoff from farmlands, a direct discharge of effluents from industries where ammonia is used and untreated sewage. The chemical is also naturally released in water with the degradation of organic matter such as blue-green algae. *Impact* The long-term impact of ammonia in human bodies can cause damage to internal organs due to its corrosive properties. *Why is ammonia in Yamuna an issue in Delhi?* Notably, dye units, distilleries and other factories concentrated in the Panipat and Sonipat districts as well as sewage from colonies are believed to pollute the stretch of the Yamuna before it enters Delhi. The situation worsens in the dry, winter months due to the absence of freshwater from melting of glaciers and lack of rainfall. Moreover, water treatment plants cannot treat water with ammonia content beyond certain level. As a result, water supply disruptions take place in the capital when the ammonia levels spike in the river. *How is ammonia-laden water treated?* The Delhi Jal Board’s water treatment plants use chlorine to treat excessive ammonia. Some amount of chlorine should remain in the treated water after the treatment process so that pathogens can be neutralised. *What have governments done to tackle the issue?* For years now, the Delhi and Haryana governments have failed to come up with a long-term viable solution to resolve the issue of excessive ammonia in water. Delhi government has proposed setting up an in-situ ammonia treatment plant at the entry point of Yamuna in Delhi. However, it remains under development. The Haryana government is also yet to complete laying down a pipeline to prevent the inter-mixing of pollutants. Relevance: GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Environment Source: Indian Express *Download Complete Daily Current Affairs PDF* https://www.prepmate.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/News-Juice-1st-February-2025.pdf