Asian Geographic - 09.2018

Eight of the 10 rivers in the world with the

highestplastic loads are located in Asia

Rivers of Filth

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Our oceans are choking on plastic. Scientists

estimate that about eight million metric

tons of plastic end up in the seas every year.

A study in November2017 by the Helmholtz-

Centre for Environmental Research

discovered that of the 10 river systems

that discharge 90 percent of the world’s

plastic trash into the oceans, eight of them

areinAsia.

Five of these pollutred waterways are in

China alone: Yangtze River (ranked 1st),

YellowRiver,HaiRiver,PearlRiverand

Amur River. Two are in India – the Indus and

the Ganges. Also on the list is the Mekong

River, which runs through six countries in

Southeast Asia.

Researchers are, however, hopeful that,

by raising awareness and by improving waste

collecting and recycling practices, the plastic

waste can be reduced by half. ag

“[Of ] the 10 river systems that

discharge 90 percent of the

world’s plastic trash into the

oceans, eight of them are in Asia”

he Filthiet Rivers in Asia

CHINA

Yangtze River

6,300km

• Asia’s longest
  river


• The river basin is
  home to nearly 500
  million people


• Flows into the
  Yellow Sea


• Carries the most
  plastic waste to the
  ocean – 1.5 million
  metric tonnes!

Yellow River

5,464km

• The “cradle” of
  Chinese civilisation


• Most of the river’s
  water is undrinkable


• 30% of ish species
  have disappeared

Hai River

70km

• Connects Tianjin
  and Beijing


• Flows into the
  busy Bohai Sea


• Also heavily polluted
  with wastewater

Pearl River

2,400km

• Enters the South
  China Sea between
  Hong Kong and
  Macau


• Also polluted
  with sewage and
  industrial waste

Amur River

2,824km

• Originates in
  northeastern China,
  forming a signiicant
  part of the border
  between Heilongjiang
  province (China) and
  Siberia (Russia);
  flows into the Sea
  of Okhotsk

ence