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Level of ammonia in Yamuna water

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Environment
  • Published
    30th Jul, 2020
  • High levels of ammonia (3 ppm) were recently detected in the Yamuna River.
  • The acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water, as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, is 0.5 ppm.
  • Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilisers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and other products.
    • It consists of hydrogen and nitrogen. In its aqueous form, it is called ammonium hydroxide.
    • This inorganic compound has a pungent smell.
    • Occurrence: Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter.
    • It is lighter than air.
    • If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes.
  • The river Yamuna is a major tributary of river Ganges.
  • Originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Bandarpoonch peaks in the Mussoorie range of the lower Himalayas in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
  • It meets the Ganges at the Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh after flowing through Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi.
  • Tributaries: Chambal, Sindh, Betwa and Ken.

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