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Our Rivers

"As much as 80% of marine pollution is caused by land-based human activity, and nearly 80% of wastewater from domestic and industrial sources is discharged into rivers and oceans untreated." 

Reference materials

River plastic

Research differs, but between two thirds and 90% of ocean plastic pollution emanates from less than twenty rivers, mostly in Asia.

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Click the button below to read about plastic pollution affecting the world's largest river systems. 

20 most polluted rivers

The Yangtze River in China discharges approximately 1.5 million tonnes of plastic into the ocean.

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Click the button below to discover the 20 most polluted rivers in the world.

Agricultural pollution

Agriculture is the largest contributor to pollution of groundwater aquifers and rivers, arising from pesticides, fertilisers, and livestock medications. The impact on human health is now demonstrable.

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Click the button below to read the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's report on the effect of agriculture on river pollution.

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