of vegetables in Delhi are grown either in sewage water or the heavily contaminated water of Yamuna. A study was published with the title “Yamuna: The poisoned river”.
Though the NGT banned any edible plants from being grown on the flood plains of Yamuna, still a huge quantity of vegetables are being grown on the flood plains of Yamuna. The study showed that any vegetable that is grown on the flood plains of Yamuna contained high levels of pollutants as well as heavy metals.
Even 8 years after the ban, things haven’t changed much. A major quantity of vegetables in the Delhi market comes from the Yamuna flood plains. The remaining vegetables aren’t that good either because more often than not sewage or drain water is used for the irrigation. The untreated drainage water has the same consequences as highly contaminated Yamuna water.
Popular vegetables grown on the flood plains of Yamuna
- Spinach
- Cauliflower
- Radish
- Carrot
- Beetroot
- Mustard Green
Problem: High quantity of pollutants & heavy metals
There are many types of heavy metals found in the vegetables grown on the flood plains of Yamuna.
- Nickel
- Manganese
- Lead
- Chromium
- Mercury
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) published a report in 2012 about the tests conducted on soil and vegetables. Mercury was found to be 200 times more than the permissible limit while Nickel and Chromium were found up to 40 times the limit.
So if you are living in Delhi NCR, chances are that most of the vegetables that you get are grown either on Yamuna flood plains or grown with contaminated drainage water. Both types of vegetables are quite dangerous because these heavy metals and pollutants are very detrimental to your health. Only a small portion of vegetables sold in Delhi are grown with clean water.
Solution
The only solution is to buy Organic vegetables which are sure to be grown with clean and sweet water without the use of any fertilizers and pesticides. But not everyone can afford expensive Organic vegetables. That’s why, you should support OrganicoHarvest because we don’t just provide Organic fruits and vegetables but our stated aim is to make Organic fruits & vegetables affordable too.