Environmental Issues - South East Asia

Learn about Yangtze River pollution: causes, health impacts, and wildlife threats.

Is the Yangtze River polluted? The answer is yes. Industrial wastewater discharge, agricultural chemical fertilizer, sediment accumulation, ship garbage and acid rain were the main Yangtze River pollution causes. Only in 2016, there were 35.32 billion ton waste water flowed into the Yangtze River. Fortunately, Yangtze River water pollution has drawn attention of central government and many measures and regulations have been launched to control and improve the situation. With efforts nationwide, the water quality has been improved. Even so, the tough fight against pollution is still ongoing. Residents along China's Yangtze River are faced with a deadly choice. Villagers can either drink its heavily-polluted waters or shoulder the expense of buying bottled water. With that cost often too great and with nearby factories only adding to the pollution, these towns have consequently been branded as "cancer villages," as instances of stomach, throat, and liver-related cancers have affected residents at a rate two to three times China's national average. The Yangtze is China's largest and the world's third-longest river. It supports over 400 million people and is, unfortunately, perhaps the world's most polluted river accounting for 55 percent of the material that ends up in the adjacent seas and ocean. This amount of plastic has disastrous consequences for wildlife as well. Animals in the areas surrounding the river have been found with microplastics in their stomachs, slowly killing them. How many people depend on the Yangtze River as their main water source? 200 million 400 million 1 billion Yangtze vs. Ganges Yangzte In China Ganges Pollution is caused mostly from plastic and pollution from factories Yangtze In India Ganges Pollution is mostly caused by dams and the growing population / pollution What does the Ganges River look like? What do you think could be done to fix the pollution in the Yangtze and Ganges rivers? How well do you think you understand water pollution in India and China?