This list containsrivers and otherstreams that have been regarded, currently or historically, as among the most polluted in the world due to their quantity of pollution, the severity of different components of the stream's pollution, its impact on the local population, or a combination of all factors.
| Name | Location | Dependent population | Description | Sources of pollution | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akaki River | CentralAddis Ababa, Ethiopia | Significantly high contaminant concentrations in its catchment rivers.[1] | Waste disposal site ofAddis Ababa, Ethiopia's largest city.[2] | Rural population downstream of the main city put at risk of health issues.[2] | |
| Awash River | Ethiopia | 18.6 million[3] | Internationally famous for its high density ofhominin fossils. Inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List in 1980.[4] | Industrial and urban wastes,agricultural runoff (pesticides,fertilizers), andsewage discharge.[3] | Severe ecosystem damage.[3] |
| Imo River | Southeastern Nigeria | Reported by the World Health Organization as one of the most polluted rivers in Nigeria.[5] | General Manager Emeka Ugoanyanwu issued a public warning that that locals should not dispose of trash, urinate, bury the dead, and build soak-away pits along the river, due to it polluting the river with coliform bacteria.[6] | Severe risk of making the main source drinkable water forOwerri non-potable.[6] | |
| Modjo River | CentralEthiopia | One of the two most polluted rivers in Ethiopia.[7][8] | Toxic industrial chemicals[7][8] | ||
| Nairobi River |  Kenya | The rivers are mostly narrow and highly polluted,[9] though recent efforts to clean the rivers have improved water quality.[10] | Agriculture, slums, and industry. | ||
| Olifants River |  South Africa and Mozambique | Close to the historical area of thePedi people,Sekhukhuneland.[11] | Green algae and very highsulphate levels attributed to coal mining and industry in the upper catchment.[12][13] | ||
| Osun River | Osun State,Nigeria | One of the river goddesses inYorubaland.[14] In 2018, the river suddenly began to change color due to gold mining. The river recorded the highest level of microplastics ever reported in river water globally in early 2024.[15][16] | Plastic pollution, heavy metals andcyanide contamination as a result of illegalgold mining, and human generated waste.[17] | Threatening theOsun Osogbo Sacred Grove.[15][16] |
| Name | Location | Dependent population | Description | Sources of pollution | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bharalu River | Assam, India | One of the most polluted rivers in the state ofAssam.[18] Thebiochemical oxygen demand of the river is 52 mg/L compared to the permissible limit set by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) of 3 mg/L.[19] | Guwahati city's municipal wastes.[19] | The obnoxious smell generated by the river is also a health hazard for the residents ofGuwahati.[19] | |
| Buckingham Canal | India | Constructed duringBritish rule, no longer used due to rail and road travel. The most polluted waterway inChennai.[20] | Sewage and effluents from industry and agricultural in Chennai, includingNorth Chennai Thermal Power Station. Nearly 60% of the estimated 55 million litres of untreated sewage produced by Chennai is dumped into it daily.[20] | The silting up of the canal left the water stagnant, creating an attractive habitat formalaria-spreading mosquitoes.[21][20] | |
| Buriganga River | Dhaka, Bangladesh | Economically very important to Dhaka.[22][23] Ranks among the mostpolluted rivers in the country.[22][23] | Chemical waste of mills and factories, household waste,medical waste,sewage, dead animals,plastics, and oil, primarily among nine industrial areas lackingindustrial wastewater treatment plants.[24][25][26] | ||
| Citarum River | West Java, Indonesia | ~5,000,000[27] | Longest and largestriver inWest Java,Indonesia.[28] Described by theAsian Development Bank as the world's most polluted river.[29] | 2,000 industries, primarily textile factories, contaminate 5,020 sq miles of the river with over 20,000 tons of waste and 340,000 tons of wastewater daily. Toxins includelead,mercury,arsenic,sulphites,nonylphenol,Phthalates,PCB 180,paranitrophenol, andtributylphosphate.[30][31][32] | Elimination of a significant part of the river's fish population, estimated at 60% since 2008.[31][32] |
| Cooum River | Tamil Nadu,India | 9,000 families | Called "a stinking cesspool" in poetry and journalism.[33][34] AWorld Bank-funded project shows that it is 80 per cent more polluted than treated sewer water.[33] | An estimated 55 million litres (15,000,000 US gal) of untreated sewage from government agencies likeChennai Corporation and local businesses, leading to highfaecal coliform bacteria, pesticide,lead,zinc andcadmium levels.[35][36] | Fish were able to survive in the water for only 3 to 5 hours even after samples were diluted. Almost zero dissolvedoxygen.[33][35] |
| Ganges | India | Tens of millions of people[37] | The most sacred river toHindus.[38] Levels offecal coliform bacteria from human waste in the river near Varanasi are more than 100 times the Indian government's official limit.[39] | Failure of theGanga Action Plan due to corruption and poor planning/expertise.[39] | Main article:Pollution of the Ganges |
| Ghadir River | SouthernBeirut region, Lebanon[40] | About 120,000 inhabitants in the Hayy El-Sellom neighborhood.[41] | The most polluted river in Lebanon, described in 2017 by Lebanese minister of public worksYoussef Fenianos as no longer normal water, but sewage water.[42] | Industrial zones by the river.[42] | Floods of sewage water in settllements near the river, leading to periodic displacement.[43] Believed to contribute to elevated rates ofasthmatic andskin diseases, especially in children.[41] |
| Ilek | Aktobe Region, Kazakhstan, andOrenburg Oblast, Russia.[44] | The mostpolluted water body in the Ural-Caspianbasin.[45] | Boron andchromium in the river caused by the tailing ponds of former chemical plants via ground water.[45] | ||
| Indus River |  China,Kashmir (disputed region), Pakistan | Birthplace of theIndus Valley Civilisation in the Bronze Age.[46] Second among a group of ten rivers responsible for about 90% of all theplastic that reaches the oceans.[47][48] | Endangerment of theIndus river dolphin.[49] | ||
| Jordan River | Jordan,Israel,Syria,Israeli-occupiedPalestinian territory ofWest Bank | The river holds major significance inJudaism andChristianity. According to theBible, the Israelites crossed it into thePromised Land andJesus of Nazarethwas baptized byJohn the Baptist in it.[50] | Dumping of sewage and brackish water, coupled with lack of cooperation between Israel and neighboring Arab states.[51] | Destruction of the 100-kilometre downstream stretch's ecosystem, which environmentalists stated could take decades to undo.[52] | |
| Kishon River | Haifa District, Israel | Considered the mostpolluted river in Israel by several government authorities. Mentioned six times in theHebrew Bible.[53] | Daily contamination for over 40 years withmercury, otherheavy metals, andorganic chemicals by nearby chemical plants, includingHaifa Chemicals.[54] | Has caught on fire several times due to chemical contaminants.[53] Found that three hours to the river's water led toDNA damage inrainbow-trout liver-cells to be on average threefold that of unpolluted water.[55]Shayetet 13 veterans were provided compensation after developing sickness and higher occurrences of cancer after training near the river.[56] | |
| Marilao River | Central Luzon, Philippines | ~250,000 people | Marilao andMeycauayan together deemed among the world's 30 most polluted places in the developing world in a 2007 study.[57] | Per theBlacksmith Institute: “Industrial waste is haphazardly dumped into the Meycauayan, Marilao and Obando River system”[57] | |
| Musi River | Telangana,India | Ranked as the 22nd most polluted river in the world.[58] | Active pharmaceutical ingredients, concentration of 12,000 nanograms per litre. Includescaffeine,nicotine,acetaminophen,metformin,gabapentin,ketoconazole, and antibiotics.[58] | Antibiotic resistance, feminization of fish, and making fish more susceptible to predation.[58] | |
| Pasig River | National Capital Region,Philippines | Metro Manila | Ranked as the largest contributor of plastic waste to the world's oceans in 2021.[59][60] | Household waste and industries | Consideredbiologically dead by 1990,[61][62] although aquatic life has since returned due torehabilitation efforts.[63] |
| Periyar River | Kerala,India | Significantly polluted in its lower reaches.[64] | Eloor industrial zone industries dumping waste includingDDT,endosulfan,hexa andtrivalent chromium,lead,cyanide, andBHC.[65][66] | Many biologically dead zones, with pollution almost wiping out traditional occupations along the river and its wetlands, including fishing and farming.[64] | |
| Ravi River | India,Pakistan | Regarded in 2022 studies as the most contaminated river globally, with pharmaceutical residues fromparacetamol, nicotine, caffeine, and medications forepilepsy anddiabetes detected in its waters.[67] | Careless disposal of large amount of industrial and agricultural wastewater and faulty drainage systems in both nations, especially in theLahore metropolitan area.[68] | ||
| Sabarmati River | Gujarat andRajasthan,India | Its Kheroj-Vautha stretch was named by theCentral Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as among the most polluted river stretches in India. However, most of the river has been cleaned now due to initiatives by the Indian Government and the river also has a river front in Ahmedabad city.[69] | Further polluted by theAhmedabad civic body's failure to build asewage treatment plant inMotera.[70] | ||
| Sahibi River | Delhi,India | Delhi's most polluted body of water.[71][72][73][74][75] | Direct inflow of untreated sewage from surrounding populated areas.[71][72][73][74][75] | ||
| Techa | Russia | 28,000 residents formerly, 23 of 24 settlements evacuated.[76] | Mayak complex[77] dumped an estimated 76 million cubic metres (2.7×109 cu ft) ofradioactive waste water into the Techa River,[78] a cumulative dispersal of 2.75 MCi (102 PBq) of radioactivity.[79] | In the past 45 years, about half a million people in the region have been irradiated in one or more of the incidents,[80][81] exposing them to as much as 20 times the radiation suffered by theChernobyl disaster victims.[78] | |
| Tungabhadra River | Karnataka andAndhra Pradesh,India | 1 million people | Regarded as among the most polluted rivers in India due to it dark brown colour and a pungent odor downriver of industries.[82] | Industry and mining on its banks in theChikkamagaluru,Shimoga,Davangere,Haveri,Vijayanagara,Bellary,Koppal andRaichur districts of Karnataka and in theKurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 30 million liters of effluents released into the Tunga from the lone non-mining Shimoga each year."[83] | Regularly impacts village fishermen due tofish kills, and causes health impacts to residents in its sub-basin relying on its water for drinking, bathing, irrigating crops, fishing and livestock water.[82] |
| Vaitarna | Nashik andPalghar district ofMaharashtra,India | Supplies much of Mumbai's drinking water.[84] | One of the most polluted rivers in India, primarily in its lower stretches.[84] | Untreated industrial and civic waste[84] | |
| Yamuna | Uttarakhand,Uttar Pradesh,Haryana, Delhi,India | 57 million people[85] | Second-largesttributary river of theGanges by discharge, and the longest tributary inIndia. Accounts for more than 70 percent ofDelhi's water supply. Highly venerated inHinduism and worshipped as thegoddess Yamuna. Receives 800 million litres of largely untreated sewage and additional 44 million litres of industrial effluents each day.[86][87] | Discharge of wastewater in Delhi, with New Delhi dumping about 58% of its waste into the river.[87] | |
| Yangtze | China | Nearly one-third of China's population[88] | Thefifth-largest primary river by discharge volume in the world.[88] In September 2012, the Yangtze river nearChongqing turned red from pollution.[89] | Industrial pollution,plastic pollution,agricultural runoff,siltation, untreated industrial and municipal sewage, and discharge of waste frompig farms.[90][91][92] | Produces moreocean plastic pollution than any other.[93] |
| Yellow River | China | 120 million people, over 420 million people live in the immediate provinces which rely on it as a water source.[94] | Second-longest river in China and thesixth-longest river system on Earth. Birthplace ofancient Chinese civilization.[95] | 4.29 billion tons of waste and sewage discharged in 2007 alone, mainly from urban factories and manufacturing facilities.[96] | One-third of the river's course rendered unusable even for agricultural or industrial use.[97] |
| Zarqa River |  Jordan | Population ofZarqa | The Zarqa's water is brownish colored, often with dense foam due to large amounts of organic matter.[98] | Rawsewage, Illegal dumping ofindustrial waste.[99] | Has a stench which has been a cause of numerous complaints, particularly during the summer months.[99] |
| Name | Location | Dependent population | Description | Sources of pollution | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bačka Canal |  Serbia | Included in Serbia's "three black points". Considered one of the most polluted reservoirs in Europe.[100] | Decades of dumping from Industrial town ofVrbas, resulting in 400,000 tons of silt which contains heavy metals and oil waste.[100] | Dangerous to bathe in and hazardous to the health of nearby populations.[100] | |
| River Calder | West Yorkshire, England | Would run different opaque colours from day to day in the 1950s.[101] | Buildup of byproducts from mining activities,textile industries, disused tar distillery inMirfield, sewage, and more recently, chemical plants.[101] | Loss of wildlife.[101] | |
| Donets | Russia and Ukraine | Heavily contaminated withfertilizers,petroleum,phenols,zinc,chromium andcopper.[102][103] | Contaminated by industrial and communal wastes of Belgorod,Izium andShebekino cities, andDonetsk andLuhansk regions.[102][103][104] | Stretches near Kozenyi Butt,Bakhmut, and Lugan are so polluted that consuming fish caught there is dangerous.[104] | |
| River Fal | Cornwall,England, United Kingdom | Described as the most polluted river inEngland.[105] | In 2021, raw sewage was discharged straight into the river for over 7,500 hours as a consequence of the 100-year old sewage system being overwhelmed by heavy rain.[105] | ||
| Ibar | Population ofKraljevo | Regarded as the most polluted river inSerbia.[106] | Frequent spills ofphenol[106] | Significant health impacts to the population ofKraljevo.[106] | |
| Ishëm |  Albania | Untreatedwastewater from industry and the city ofTirana, leading to quantities ofammonia,nitrogen dioxide, andsuspended solids that exceedEU legal limits on several different measures.[107] | At its mouth, the river smells very bad and the bay is polluted by the wastewater, plastic, and other detritus from Tirana, which threatens an important sea turtle breeding ground.[108] | ||
| Krivaja | Serbia | Among the most polluted rivers in Serbia, especially in the lower section, downstream fromBačka Topola.[109][110] | The dam upstream holds more water for farm irrigation during summers than it should, so the river is turned into the slow open sewage canal.[110] | Has been an "ecological black spot" for years.[110] | |
| Meža |  Austria and Slovenia | The Meža has been the most polluted river in Slovenia. In 1982 the singer-songwriterMarijan Smode [sl] wrote a song about it titled "Mrtva reka" (The Dead River).[111] | Mežica lead mine and the Ravne Steelworks (Železarna Ravne) conglomerate.[111] | ||
| Oder | Poland's second-longest river[112] | ,Heavy industrialization of the area and large number of coal mines and chemical facilities.[113][114][115] | See:2022 Oder environmental disaster, at least 135 tonnes of dead fish washed up on its shores.[116][117][118] | ||
| Sarno | Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy | Partially used forirrigation, as well as the transportation of goods and fishing.[119] | Agricultural waste and insufficiently treated industrial waste water from 500 small industrial units.[120][121] | Has made bathing near the mouth of the river in theTyrrhenian Sea impossible.[120][121] | |
| Rio Tinto | Southwestern Spain | Has a unique red and orange colour extending for 50 kilometres,[122] derived from its chemical makeup that is extremely acidic and with very high levels ofiron andheavy metals.[123] The name itself means "coloured river", in contrast to most rivers which are clear. | Approximately 5,000 years oforemining,[122] includingcopper,silver,gold, and other minerals,[124] | Environmental concerns based on long disused water reservoirs which might not be able to withstand the stress of renewed waste inputs.[125] |
| Name | Location | Dependent population | Description | Sources of pollution | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acelhuate River |  El Salvador | 1.7 million people | One the most contaminated and polluted rivers in El Salvador.[126] | Domestic and industrial waste, containing iron, arsenic, lead, mercury, and zinc.[127] | |
| Anacostia River | Maryland andWashington, D.C., United States | Regarded as "D.C.'s forgotten river" due to weak investment anddevelopment along its banks and heavy pollution[128] | Rawsewage discharges primarily during floods, andPCB contaminants from theWashington Navy Yard.[129][130] | Public health threat because offecal coliform bacteria and otherpathogens; it also impairswater quality and can createhypoxic conditions that lead to largefish kills and sickness of people who get water in their mouth.[130][131] | |
| Blackstone River | Massachusetts andRhode Island,United States | Referred to by theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency as “the most polluted river in the country because of high concentrations of toxic sediments.”[132] | Primarily wastewater from the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District.[133] | Rated as the worst category ("impaired") for all assessed uses ("aquatic life", "fish consumption", "primary contact" (e.g.swimming), "secondary contact" (e.g.boating) and "aesthetics").[134] | |
| Calleguas Creek | Ventura County, California,United States | Named the most polluted body of water in the jurisdiction of theLos Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board in 2009.[135] | |||
| Coatzacoalcos River | Oaxaca andVeracruz, Mexico | Among the world's most contaminated rivers.[136] | Petrochemical industry of MexicoPemex,[137] lack of environmental laws protecting the public water.[136] | ||
| Connoquenessing Creek | Western Pennsylvania,United States | The second most polluted waterway in the United States in a 2000 study.[138] | Armco Inc. steel facility inButler, which ranked first nationally for the amount of pollutant discharges, which legally discharged more than 29 million pounds of nitrate compounds.[138] | ||
| Delaware River | New York,New Jersey,Pennsylvania,Delaware, andMaryland,United States | Provides drinking water for 17 million people, including half ofNew York City via theDelaware Aqueduct.[139] | The longest free-flowing (undammed) river in theEastern United States.[140] Named the 5th most polluted river in the United States by eco-activism groups, primarily in thePhiladelphia/Chester region.[141][142] | 7–10 million pounds of toxic chemicals in the waterways mainly due to dumping byDuPont Chambers Works.[141][142] | Pollutants leading to increased risk ofbirth defects,infertility, andcancer.[141] |
| Río Grande de Santiago | WesternMexico | One of the longest rivers inMexico.[143] Also one of its most polluted.[144] | Over a thousand different chemicals in the main channel and its tributaries. These substances included semi-volatile andvolatile organic compounds, such asphthalates (hormonal disruptors),phenols (compounds that affect neuronal development),toluene (aneurotoxin), andcarcinogenic flame retardants.[145] | Caused the death of an eight-year-old boy who fell into the river and succumbed toheavy metal poisoning nineteen days later.[146][147] | |
| Hackensack River | New York andNew Jersey,United States | Once believed to be among the most polluted watercourses in the United States. Three sections are designated asSuperfund sites. | Once held the highest concentrations ofmethyl mercury of any fresh-water sediment in the world, as well as extensive residues ofPCBs and other chemicals due to chemical companies.[148][149] Despite closure of many industrial sites by the 2000s, still suffers fromUrban runoff pollution, municipal sewage discharges fromsanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows, and runoff fromhazardous waste sites continue to impair the river'swater quality.[150][151] | By the 1960s, much of the lower river was essentially aturbidhypoxic dead zone, with only the hardiest of species, such as themummichog, able to survive in its waters. The Lower Hackensack was declared a federalSuperfund site in 2022.[152][153][154] | |
| Lerma River | West-centralMexico | Mexico's second longest river. | Untreated wastewater from industries.[155][156] | Michoacán andGuanajuato documenting an increase incancer andneurocysticercosis in populations that live near the river.[157] Also has led to continuing loss of plant life in and around the river itself since 2005.[155] | |
| Merrimack River | New Hampshire andMassachusetts,United States[158] | One of the most endangered rivers in the United States, as named by the American Rivers nonprofit in 2016.[159] | Combined sewer overflow from six untreatedsanitary sewer systems,[160] leading to elevatedbacteria counts, lowdissolved oxygen, and highnutrient levels and elevated counts ofE. coli andfecal coliform.[161] | Restriction ofswimming andboating. Aquatic life andshellfishing beds have been affected due to excesslead,zinc, and other metals in the river.[161] | |
| Mississippi River | United States | ~70 million people[162] | The world'stenth-largest river by discharge flow, and the largest in North America.[163] | Elevated nutrient and chemical levels from agricultural runoff consisting offertilizers andinsecticides.[163][164] | Primary contributor to theGulf of Mexico dead zone.[164] |
| Motagua River |  Guatemala and Honduras | One of the most plastic-emitting rivers in the world, contributing around two percent of globalplastic pollution emissions into oceans annually.[165] | Highly polluted with untreatedsewage, industrial waste, tons ofsediment (garbage) andblackwater from Guatemala City carried by the Río Las Vacas tributary.[166] | Dangerous tomarine protected areas ofHonduras and Guatemala and conservation efforts to maintain species diversity.[167] Impacts several Indigenous and coastal communities.[168] | |
| New River | TheMexico–U.S. border fromMexicali Municipality toImperial County,California | Composed of agricultural and chemical runoff waste. Called the most severelypolluted river of its size in the United States.[169] | Runoff and waste from farm industryirrigation in the U.S. (18.4%) and Mexico (51.2%),sewage fromMexicali (29%). Consists of contains a stew of about a hundredcontaminants:volatile organic compounds,heavy metals includingselenium,uranium,arsenic andmercury,pesticides (includingDDT), andPCBs.[170] | Containspathogens that causetuberculosis,encephalitis,polio,cholera,hepatitis andtyphoid. Runoff into theSalton Sea has led to several fish die-offs and massive avianepizootics 1992–2019. | |
| Newtown Creek | New York,United States | One of the mostpolluted industrial sites in the United States, containing years of discardedtoxins, an estimated 30,000,000 US gallons (110,000,000 L; 25,000,000 imp gal) of spilled oil.[171] | Channelization made it one of the most heavily used bodies of water in thePort of New York and New Jersey. Worsened by theGreenpoint oil spill, rawsewage from New York City's sewer system,[171] and other accumulation from a total of 1,491 sites.[172] | Totally devoid of any lifeforms by the end of the 19th century.[173] | |
| Ohio River | Boundary of theMidwestern andSouthern United States. | Source ofdrinking water for five million people.[174] | Third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largesttributary by volume of the north–south flowing Mississippi River, which divides the eastern from western United States.[175] Listed amongAmerica's Most Endangered Rivers of 2023.[176] | Farm runoff and waste water from industrial processes such as steel production. 92% of toxic discharges werenitrates, with mercury also causing impacts.[175][176] Also impacted by theEast Palestine, Ohio, train derailment.[176] | |
| Passaic River | Northern New Jersey,United States | The lower eight miles (13 km) of the river contains 4.3 million cubic yards (3.3×10 | Industrial waste beginning in the 19th century, includingdioxin generated by theDiamond Shamrock Chemical Plant as a waste product resulting from the production ofAgent Orange.[178] | ||
| River Rouge | Metro Detroit,Michigan,United States | Oil on the surface caught fire in 1969.[179] | Suffered from municipal and industrial discharges, sewer overflows, and severalnonpoint source pollution (e.g., storm water runoff), leading to high levels ofpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),heavy metals (e.g., mercury),polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oil and grease.[180][181] | Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption, and on recreational use. Also caused degradation on fish and wildlife populations, and fish tumors and other deformities.[180][181] | |
| San Gabriel River | California,United States | Mostly-urban waterway and the central of three major rivers draining theGreater Los Angeles Area.[182] | Large amounts of industrial andurban runoff from 598 businesses, manufacturers, and other parties, the largest being the Los Coyotes plant with an output of 30 million gallons (110,000 m3) per day.[183] Upper reaches impacted by trash, debris,fecal coliforms, and heavy metals from recreational use.[184][185] | Coyote Creek suffering from "acute and chronic toxicity" from pesticides and industrial chemicals, industrial contaminant pollution of a considerable portion of the groundwater in the San Gabriel River watershed, and detrimental impacts to the habitat.[186][185] | |
| San Joaquin River | Central California,United States | One of the most polluted rivers in the United States, especially in its lower course.[187] | "Ubiquitous" pesticide and fertilizer runoff and municipal runoff leading to elevated levels ofselenium,fluoride,nitrates.[187] | In 1983, it was found that birds had suffered severe deformities and deaths due to steadily increasing levels of chemicals and toxins. In the next few years, all the fish species died except for themosquito fish, andalgae blooms proliferated in the foul water.[188][187] | |
| Spring Creek | California,United States | The stream is among the most polluted and acidic in the world.[189][190] | Contains the Spring Creek Debris Dam, which serves primarily to collect severeacid mine drainage stemming from theIron Mountain Mine.[191] | ||
| Tárcoles River |  Costa Rica | About 50% ofCosta Rica's population.[192] | Considered the most contaminated river basin in the country.[193][194] | The river's watershed drains approximately 67% of Costa Rica's untreated organic andindustrial waste .[193][194] | |
| Tijuana River | Baja California,MexicoCalifornia,United States | Called "one of the most polluted waterways in the country".[195] | From 2018 to 2024, more than 100,000,000,000 US gallons (380,000,000 kL) of wastewater have flowed from Mexico into the United States via the Tijuana River according to the International Boundary and Water Commission,[196] including toxins, metals, solvents, pathogens, and sewage.[197] | Raw sewage from the city ofTijuana, Mexico. | Regular overflowing raw-sewage on the Mexican side, causing damage to vegetation and contributing to flooding. Citizens from bothSan Diego andTijuana have fallen sick due to the sewage flowing into local beaches, with 34,000 people onImperial Beach in 2017 alone.[198] |
| Name | Location | Dependent population | Description | Sources of pollution | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darling River | New South Wales, Australia | Third-longest river inAustralia, and theoutback's most famous waterway.[199] | Pesticide runoff[200][201] | Suffered from a severecyanobacterial bloom that stretched the length of the river in 1992.[202] Also suffered from fish kills in 2019 and 2023.[203][204] | |
| King River | Tasmania,Australia | Was historically considered to be Australia's most polluted river.[205] Is still heavily polluted due to acid water and heavy metal pollution.[206] | Copper mining dewatering and run-off from the waste rock dumps.[206] | High toxicity to aquatic life.[206] |
| Name | Location | Dependent population | Description | Sources of pollution | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carioca River | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | One of the most polluted rivers in the state ofRio de Janeiro.[207][208] | Untreated sewage[207][208] | Carries pollutants that causediarrhea,hepatitis, andleptospirosis.[207][208] | |
| Matanza River | Buenos Aires Province, Argentina | 3.5 million people | The most polluted river inLatin America and it is considered one of the ten most polluted places globally, with very high levels of lead.[209] | Large amounts ofindustrial waste from the numerous factories along the river, especially tanneries.[210] | 25% of children living in urbanslums along the water's edge have lead in their bloodstreams, and even more suffer from gastrointestinal and respiratory illness.[210] |
| Tietê River | Brazil | Deemed the most polluted river in Brazil, according to National Geographic in 2010.[211] | Pollution fromSão Paulo | Multiple species threatened, or possibly extinct in the case of the catfishHeptapterus multiradiatus.[212] |
| Name | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ayase River | Kantō, Japan | The most polluted river in Japan from the 1960s to the 1990s, leading to cleanup efforts.[213] |
| River Churnet | Staffordshire,England | Became possibly the most polluted river in Europe in the 19th century. Improved after the decline of industry inLeek and theChurnet Valley.[214] |
| Charles River | Massachusetts,United States | Suffered from significant industrial pollution called "foul and noisome, polluted by offal and industrious wastes, scummy with oil, unlikely to be mistaken for water."[215]Fish kills and submerged vehicles were a common sight, along withtoxic chemical plumes that colored parts of the river pink and orange.[216]The Standells sang about the Charles in their 1965 song "Dirty Water". A combination of public and private initiatives helped drastically lower levels of pollutants, leading to the first "public swims" since the 1950s occurring in 2013.[217] |
| Columbia Slough | Oregon,United States | Became one of Oregon's mostpolluted waterways due to being used as a waste repository during the first half of the 20th century.[218] |
| Cuyahoga River | Ohio,United States | Infamous for catching on fire at least 14 times due to heavyindustrial pollution, helping to spur theAmerican environmental movement and triggering extensive cleanup efforts.[219][220] |
| Detroit River | Metro Detroit,Michigan,United States | Was used for industrial purposes for more than 100 years, leading to thousands of migrating birds dying each year from oil slick and chemicals. The river's oxygen levels were depleted to the point where fish could not inhabit its waters. Because this pollution often drained into and affectedLake Erie, the lake was considered "dead" and unable to support aquatic life.[221][222] Was designated an ecological refuge in 2001, with cleanup efforts leading to the return of many species of native animals.[222] |
| Don River | Ontario, Canada | By the 1960s the river had become a neglected, polluted mess due to industrial pollution. In 1969,Pollution Probe held a much celebrated "Funeral for the Don" to highlight the plight of the river.[223] The river would have a few species of fish be restored following the closure of industrial sites and cleanup efforts. |
| East River | New York City,New York,United States | Historically the receptacle for the city's garbage and sewage sinceNew Amsterdam, leading to the destruction of the river's ecosystem. Was regarded as dangerous for anyone to fall into it as late as 2007.[224] Environmental controls and cleanups have allowed the ecosystem to gradually rebuild.[173] |
| Nervión | Spain | One of the most polluted rivers in the world due to a century of intense industrial activity causing the lower stretches of the river to become ecologically dead withoxygen levels 20 percent below the norm. Cleanup efforts starting in 1990 as well as the deindustrialization of the area brought about the reintroduction of natural life to the habitat.[225][226] |
| Saint Louis River | Minnesota andWisconsin,United States | One of the most heavily polluted waterways in Minnesota during the mid 20th century due to historical industrial use of the river, before the onset of modern environmental laws, resulting in the degradation of habitat and sediments contaminated with: mercury, dioxins,polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other toxins.[227] Still suffers from high levels of mercury in fish tissue despite cleanup efforts.[228][229] |
| Segura | Spain | One of the most polluted rivers inEurope in the 1990s,[230] due to thecanning industry and urban and agricultural residues from urban areas. Demonstrations and the construction of hundreds of wastewater treatment and collection systems led to the river becoming the Spanish river with the lowest average pollution in the span of just one decade.[231][232] |
| River Team | Tyne and Wear,England | Historically regarded as one of the most polluted rivers in the area due to the discharges from Sewage works nearLamesley and heavy industry in theTeam Valley. It is called "The Gut" by the residents ofDunston. However considerable improvements have now been made and the river is relatively clean.[233] |
| River Trent | England | The rapid population increase of the towns that developed following theIndustrial Revolution led to an "offensive stench" and thick industrial pollution that peaked in the 1950s.[234][235][236] |
| Vermilion River | Louisiana,United States | Gained a reputation as the most polluted river in the United States in the 1970s.[237][238] Improvedsewage treatment, low flowstreamflow augmentation, and regular in-stream trash collection have changed its public perception to that of a celebrated recreational resource.[237] |
| River Wandle | Greater London,England | Heavily industrialized in the 18th and 19th centuries, during theIndustrial Revolution, and was declared one of the most polluted rivers in England. Subsequent cleanup efforts have led to a return of the river'sbrown trout, as well aschub,roach anddace.[239][240] |
| Yauza | Moscow andMytishchi,Russia | Referred to as "the biggest gutter for waste inMoscow" due to industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries. The ecology slightly improved in the 2000s, with the closing or conversion of old factories and cleanup efforts by the city government.[241][242] |
Text was copied from this source, which is available under aCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licenseabout 90 per cent of all the plastic that reaches the world's oceans gets flushed through just 10 rivers: The Yangtze, the Indus, Yellow River, Hai River, the Nile, the Ganges, Pearl River, Amur River, the Niger, and the Mekong (in that order).
about 90 percent of all the plastic that reaches the world's oceans gets flushed through just 10 rivers: The Yangtze, the Indus, Yellow River, Hai River, the Nile, the Ganges, Pearl River, Amur River, the Niger, and the Mekong (in that order).
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)In 1969 ... the oil-matted Rouge River in Detroit caught fire, shooting flames 50 feet in the air ...
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