Release of Sewage Into River Ganga Major Issue says NEERI

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Release of Sewage Into River Ganga Major Issue says NEERI

The research institute said that although the clean Ganga plan is going in the right direction, the release fo sewage in the river by big towns is a huge concern.

464042-ganga-river.jpgThe action plan launched to clean the Ganga is moving in the right direction but the discharge of sewage into the river by big towns and cities is a major issue, NEERI said on Tuesday.

In absence of sewage treatment plants (STP), the cleaning (of the river) was a difficult task and there were some logistics and managerial problems faced by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), its newly appointed director Rakesh Kumar told reporters here.

The Ganga action plan initiated by the Centre was in the right direction but the major problem facing it was discharge of sewage into the river by big towns and cities, it said. Major cities like Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi and Patna are on NEERI's priority to get rid of the sewage, he said, adding industrial pollution was also adding woes to the project.

Kumar admitted that there were some initial problems with the funds, but NEERI was capable of generating resources to carry out the project. Solid waste management was a primary concern for NEERI, he added.

To a question, Kumar admitted that the air pollution level in Delhi has gone down after the introduction of odd and even scheme. "The Delhi government should ensure that the number of vehicles do not increase," he added.

Meanwhile, according to him, ten cities in Maharashtra have been selected by the NEERI to study the pollution levels. The cities include Mumbai, Pune, Solapur and Nagpur, he added. Before taking over this assignment, Kumar was NEERI's chief scientist and head of Mumbai zonal laboratory.

Read Details at source DNA India

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3 Comments

  1. Without political will, we cant prevent discharge of sewage and industrial effluent into the river Ganga. Strict regulations and set up of a very strict agency for monitoring and implementation of environmental laws urgently required. Corruption is main cause for all problem. Pollution control board officials should be accountable,if any effluent in their region is discharging into river without treatment.

  3. VishakhaNo one would agree more than me in what you have said, however, please note that all water bodies and river systems are the essential life support systems, especially for common man. Untreated Sewage, Effluents and waste waters can not be legally permitted to find their ways into the Ganges and all other Rivers and Lakes/ Ponds/ Open areas unless deep percolation is restricted by u/g drainage system. We will have to expand our understanding of water and even include SEAS and GLACIERS which can not be polluted, contaminated or over exploited by human shortsightedness and greed.Costs of remedies increase over time. Our Public Health expenditures whether incurred by Governments, NGO or forced out of individual pockets shall keep rising because enforcement of laws (which need to be improved to treat ULBs and Panchayats at same levels as Industry or Institutional users of water , pertaining to Collection, treatment and disposal/ Recycling of water , if vialoated must be enforced at par with Crimes against Humanity and Government as Government and People of the country have natural responsibility of conserving and protecting Water, a most precious natural resource, for ecological balance and sustainance. If it is Zero Liquid Discharge for Industries and Instritutions, it should also be ZLD for ULBs and Panchayats...Water Imported, Extracted or what flows into its battery limits MUST be treated to be returned to pure form and recycled..Governments are still to wake up to PLAN for increasing the storage of pure water in water bodies by 5 times starting with complete restoration of Ponds and Lakes that India inherited at time of its independence. Is it unwise to PLAN and build STORAGE CAPACITY that aids recharge of ground water utilising the FLOOD PLAINS which are shrinking or getting unwisely restricted by Unban Infra or legal or illegal constructions for New Habitat?Is it unwise to explore HANDING OVER of O&M of STPs and ETPs to PRIVATE SECTOR/ PUBLIC SECTOR as Govt. Dept.s are found failing to utilise the Capacities created at cost of Public Money..? Can new capacities not be planned on D&B with O&M on PPP model ?