In the sweltering summer of 1858, the horrific stench emanating from the River Thames filled the grand halls of the British Parliament with unbearable discomfort. For the 'Lords' sitting in the parliament, it was a highly intolerable situation. Several honorable members of parliament had already fled to the countryside of England to escape it, leaving behind a living nightmare for those who remained.
Gasping for fresh air with handkerchiefs on their noses, British lawmakers made a decision that became a miraculous initiative in the direction of urban planning in modern human history.
The foul air emanating from the Thames was making it nearly impossible to breathe, a situation reminiscent of the smog we sometimes feel today in the Yamuna Belt.
Historians, skilled at documenting, marked this crisis of summer 1858 as "The Great Stink."
Source: aajtak
The British parliament agreed that immediate action was needed to rid London of the "nasty odor," which was contributing to the spread of cholera, dysentery, and many other intestinal diseases, leading to numerous deaths.
Why did the Thames suffer?
Much like the Yamuna, the Thames River flowing through London has been a vital lifeline for trade, fishing, and daily living for centuries. However, the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries turned it into a dumping ground for industrial waste, untreated sewage, and refuse. By the Victorian era, the river had become an open sewer.
Also read: The Rhine's demise! The river turned red in a single night, with fish dying... then came a turning point.
By the mid-1800s, the River Thames had been used for waste disposal for human excrement for centuries.
As London's population soared, doubling between 1800 and 1850, the Thames turned into an island of waste that no one wished to see.
The 'Great Stink' of 1858 was a result of this waste along the Thames rotting and human excrement being dumped untreated in the river.
The British Parliament's sessions were affected by the Great Stink.
Where did the 'Silver Thames' go?
Gone was the 'Silver Thames' praised by English poets for its sparkling beauty, now a murky yellow-brown liquid.
Renowned British poet Charles Dickens wrote in 1855-57, "A dangerous sewer flowed through the heart of the city, in place of a clear and fresh-water river."
The catastrophe and filth of the Thames shook the British consciousness, leading to significant urban planning efforts. Engineer Joseph Bazalgette was responsible for this construction.
Engineer Joseph Bazalgette's sewer system, completed in the late 19th century, diverted sewage away from Central London, temporarily improving the state of the Thames.
However, the downstream pollution worsened, and the pressure on the river grew with a rising London population and industries.
World War II and the destruction of the Thames
World War II (1939-1945) further devastated the already struggling Thames.
German bombings destroyed parts of Bazalgette's sewer network, along with sewage treatment plants, leading untreated sewage back into the river.
The war led to increased industrial activity in Britain, with waste from factories being discharged into rivers, reminiscent of the current situation in Delhi. Post-war industrial activity surged again, and the tough times for the Thames seemed endless.
By the 1950s, the Thames had become a murky, oxygen-deprived wasteland.
The dissolved oxygen (DO) in the river, essential for aquatic life, dropped to nearly 0.5 mg/L. Typically, water should have 5-15 mg/L of dissolved oxygen for healthy aquatic life.
Source: aajtak
Regarding the Yamuna River, the dissolved oxygen level is often between 2-4 mg/L, dangerous for aquatic life, which explains the scarcity of aquatic creatures there.
At Wazirabad Barrage, the DO level remains between 4-6 mg/L, but it drops below 1 mg/L after Najafgarh drain enters the Yamuna.
Back to the Thames, in 1957 the river's grim condition led to it being declared "biologically dead."
Legislation, technological innovation, and infrastructure improvement
In the 1960s, efforts to revitalize the Thames's flow began with legislation, technological innovation, and infrastructure improvement.
Post-World War II, the damaged sewage treatment facilities were repaired and expanded, but broader action was needed. In 1964, Britain formed the Thames Water Authority, launching a decade-long project to modernize and expand London's sewer system.
This reduced the amount of untreated sewage entering the river. The Clean Water Act of the 1960s and 1970s enforced strict regulations, compelling factories to treat their waste before discharging it into the Thames.
Harmful chemicals were replaced with biodegradable detergents, further reducing pollution loads.
Oxygen was given to Thames water
A major innovation in purifying and cleaning the Thames was the introduction of oxygenators or "bubblers" to correct critically low oxygen levels. These devices pumped oxygen into the water.
In 1988, it was upgraded with the "Thames Bubbler," a self-propelled vessel, followed by a second vessel, "Thames Vitality," in 1999. These bubblers played a crucial role in raising dissolved oxygen levels, kickstarting the revival of aquatic life in the river.
Policies and Privatization
Between 1961 and 1995, legislation improved water quality standards across Britain. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's privatization of water companies in 1989 brought significant changes. Thames Water, now a private entity, took over management of the river waters and sewage system.
Source: aajtak
Furthermore, by 1976, treating all sewage entering the Thames was mandatory, a milestone that mandated proactive government measures to eliminate river pollution.
Gradual but transformative results
The outcomes of these efforts came slowly but were transformative. In 1967, a flounder became the first fish species documented in the Thames, followed by freshwater species like bream, pike, and trout. Later, marine species such as bass and eels were also found at the river's mouth, marking decades of labor.
Wetlands along the Thames
Seeing positive results, wetlands and natural habitats were established along the Thames, boosting biodiversity. By 1980, salmon reappeared in the river, an occurrence unseen for 150 years.
By the end of the 20th century, over 125 fish species and 400 types of invertebrates, including insects, crabs, prawns, snails, octopuses, and starfish, inhabited the Thames.
In 2010, the Thames River received the International Thiess River Prize, and its revival was recognized as a global success story.
Like the Thames, rejuvenating the Yamuna calls for large-scale sewage treatment, industrial control, and community involvement. As of February 2025, the DO level of the Yamuna in Delhi remains critically concerning, posing a severe threat to its ecosystem.
