India's dying rivers: How our cities are choking their lifelines

India's urban rivers like Yamuna, Sahibi, Mithi, Musi, Cooum, and Vrishabhavathi have been narrowed, encroached upon, and turned into sewage conduits.

Yamuna's average width through Delhi shrank nearly 68% over 220 years, from 658 metres in 1799 to 210 metres today, with water discharge down 90% due to barrages and diversions.

The Sahibi River in Delhi is now ecologically degraded and known as the Najafgarh drain, a heavily polluted sewage channel.

Brahmaputra faces steady erosion from climate change and urban pressures, while Ganga struggles with industrial and ritual waste.

Protecting river floodplains and managing sewage are crucial for river survival; shrinking floodplains have made Delhi more vulnerable to flooding.