India is recognised as has having major problems with water
pollution, predominately due to untreated sewerage. Rivers such as the Ganges,
the Yamuna and Kaveri rivers, all flowing through highly populated areas, are
heavily polluted.
India’s rivers are spread across her geography. From the
great snow-fed Himalayan rivers to small coastal streams that drain into the
surrounding seas, India lives by her rivers. Literally so – almost all the
rivers have a sizable population settled along the banks. British writer Eric
Newby summed up the Indian river thus, “Bathing in it, drinking it, washing
clothes in it, irrigating their fields, dying by it and then having their ashes
borne away by it". This social custom has led to the Indian rivers’ being
heavily polluted, most times to unhealthy levels.
Sullied waters
Many cleaning
projects like the “Clean Ganga Campaign” have not met with much success. Much
of the ground reality was not taken into consideration. It was estimated that
besides heavy metals found in Indian rivers, most of their main pollutant
turned out to be fecal-coliform, a bacteria derived from human feces that
causes a host of diseases.
Safe solutions
Many solutions to
clean India’s rivers have been suggested, of which some have been implemented
while others are yet to take off. They include:
·
Keeping factories at a safe distance from river
banks.
·
Devising a sewage system that can be pumped onto
an island instead of into rivers.
·
Treating waste and sewage with microbes and
algae to make it safer.
·
Create continuous, sustained educational
campaigns about the ills of pollution.
·
Using TV programs and radio campaigns to
influence the older population.
The above solutions have been taken up in various efforts
made by the government and a number of environmental NGOs working for clean
rivers.
Following is a brief description about efforts made by different
quarters of the society to clean river Ganga. We are taking up river Ganga
cleaning campaigns because of the enormous financial, social and environmental(if
and only the projects succeed) impact of these campaigns.
Ganges
The Ganga is the largest river in India with an
extraordinary religious importance for Hindus. Along its banks are some of the
world's oldest inhabited places like Varanasi and Patna. It provides water to
about 40% of India's population in 11 states. In modern times, it is known for
being very polluted.[3]
An estimated 2.9 billion litres or more of human sewage is
discharged into the Ganges daily (200 million litres daily in the city Varanasi
alone), although the existing treatment plants have capacity to treat only 1.1
billion litres per day, leaving a huge deficit.
Statistics
A 2006 measurement of pollution in the Ganges sabrina
revealed that river water monitoring over the previous 12 years had
demonstrated fecal coliform counts up to 100,000,000 MPN (most probable number)
per 100 ml and biological oxygen demand levels averaging over 40 mg/l in the
most polluted part of the river in Varanasi. The overall rate of
water-borne/enteric disease incidence, including acute gastrointestinal
disease, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis-A, and typhoid, was estimated to be about
66%.
A systematic classification done by Uttaranchal Environment
Protection and Pollution Control Board’s (UEPPCB) on river waters into the
categories A: safe for drinking, B: safe for bathing, C: safe for agriculture,
and D: excessive pollution, put the Ganges in D. Coliform bacteria levels in
the Ganges have also been tested to be at 5,500, a level too high to be safe
for agricultural use let alone drinking and bathing.
The leather industry in Kanpur which employs around 50,000
people in more than 400 tanneries uses chemicals such as toxic chromium
compounds. Effectively, chromium levels have not decreased in the Ganges even
after a common treatment plant was established in 1995. It now stands at more
than 70 times the recommended maximum level.
A study conducted by the National Cancer Registry Programme
(NCRP) under the Indian Council of Medical Research in 2012, suggested that
"those living along its banks in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal are more
prone to cancer than anywhere else in the country". The survey indicated
that Gallbladder cancer cases along the river course are the second highest in
the world and prostate cancer highest in the country.
Cleaning efforts
Ganga Action Plan
The Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program launched by Rajiv
Gandhi in April 1986 in order to reduce the pollution load on the river. But
the efforts to decrease the pollution level in the river became more after
spending र 901.71 Crore (~190
million USD adjusting to inflation). Therefore, this plan was withdrawn on 31
March 2000. The steering Committee of the National River Conservation Authority
reviewed the progress of the GAP and necessary correction on the basis of
lessons learned and experiences gained from the GAP phase; 2 schemes have been
completed under this plan. A million litres of sewage is targeted to be
intercepted, diverted and treated. Phase-II of the program was approved in
stages from 1993 onwards, and included the following tributaries of the Ganges:
Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda. As of 2011, it is currently under
implementation.
National Ganga River
Basin Authority
NRGBA was established by the Central Government of India, on
20 February 2009 under Section 3(3) of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. It
also declared Ganges as the "National River" of India. The chair includes
the Prime Minister of India and Chief ministers of states through which the
Ganges flows.
The Central Government, by a notification dated 20.2.2009,
as set up ‘National GangaRiver Basin Authority’ (NGRBA)as an empowered
planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga River,
in exercise of the powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act,1986.
The Prime Minister is ex-officio Chairperson of the Authority, and it has as
its members, the Union Ministers Concerned and the Chief Ministers of states
through which Ganga flows, viz., Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand
and West Bengal, among others. The objective of the Authority is to ensure
effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by
adopting a holistic approach with the river basin as the unit of planning. The
functions of the Authority include all measures necessary for planning and
execution of programmes for abatement of pollution in the Ganga in keeping with
sustainable development needs.
The first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin
Authority (NGRBA) was held on 5th October, 2009 under the Chairmanship of the
Hon’ble Prime Minister. The meeting was attended by the Chief Ministers of
Uttarkhand and Bihar, Union Ministers of Urban Development, Water Resources and
the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, besides the Deputy Chairman
Planning Commission.
Key Features of New
Approach
·
River basin will be the unit of planning and
management. This is an internationally accepted strategy for integrated
management of rivers.
·
Accordingly, a new institutional mechanism in
the form of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) will spearhead river conservation efforts at the
national level. Implementation will be by the State Agencies and Urban
Local Bodies
·
The new strategy will take into account the
competing demands on water and will seek t ensure minimum ecological flows.
STPs minimise the pollution load up to discharge standard of BOD of 30mg/litre
requiring dilution to achieve river
water quality of 3mg/ litre.
·
The minimum ecological flows or the entire Ganga
will be determined through modelling
exercises. NGRBA
·
will take appropriate measures to regulate water
abstraction for maintaining ecological flows in the river.
Functions of NGRBA
The NGRBA would be responsible for addressing
the problem of pollution in Ganga in a holistic and comprehensive manner. This
will include water quality, minimum ecological flows, sustainable access and other
issues relevant to river ecology and management.
The NGRBA will not only be regulatory body but
will also have developmental role in terms of planning & monitoring of the
river conservation activities and
ensuring that necessary resources are available.
·
The NRGBA would work for maintaining the water
quality of the river Ganga uptoacceptable standards. The pollution abetment
activities will be taken through the existing implementation mechanisms in the
State and also through special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs0 at the pollution
hotspots.
·
The NGRBA
will ensure minimum ecological flow in the Ganga by regulating water
abstraction and by promoting water storage projects.
·
The NGRBA will plan and monitor programmes for
cleaning of Ganga and its tributaries. To being with, it will concentrate on
Ganga main stream.
·
The NGRBA would draw upon professional expertise
within and outside the Government for advice on techno-economic issues.
·
The technical and administrative support to NGRBA
shall be provided by the Ministry of Environment &
for advice on techno-economic issues.
·
The technical and administrative support to
NGRBA shall be provided by the Ministry of Environment & Forests.
CPCB
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), statutory
organisation, was constituted in September, 1974 under the Water (Prevention
and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Further, CPCB was entrusted with the
powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
1981.
It serves as a field formation and also provides technical
services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the provisions of the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Principal Functions of the CPCB, as spelt
out in the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, (i) to promote cleanliness of streams
and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement
of water pollution, and (ii) to improve the quality of air and to prevent,
control or abate air pollution in the country
Actions undertaken by CPCB for Prevention of Pollution of
River Ganga.
·
Training cum Awareness programme on Saltless
Preservation of Hides/ skins was organized by CPCB at Lucknow and Kanpur, which
was attended by representatives from slaughter houses, tannery & allied
units and officers of UPPCB. The programme was oriented towards the ongoing
efforts pursuing basin-wise approach for reduction of dissolved solids in
wastewater from leather processing industries in particular by invoking
saltless preservation of hides/ skins.
·
CPCB has initiated a Techno-Economic Feasibility
for setting up of Common Recovery Plant & Common Effluent Treatment Plant
for Pulp & Paper Industries identified clusters at Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad
and Meerut.
·
CPCB also made a reconnaissance survey from
Gomukh to Uluberia (West Bengal) for identified the point source and its impact
on River. This reconnaissance survey is conducted in association with Shri
Rajinder Singh, Member, NGRBA.
·
CPCB issued direction to UPPCB and Uttarakhand
PCB in the matter of Prevention and Control of Pollution from agro based Pulp
& Paper Sector Mills. As a result 31 industries have been issued directions
in U.P., 25 digester sealed at Uttarakhand, 8 industries were directed and 4
were stop chemical pulping.
·
CPCB conducted monitoring of 26 industrial units
in the stretch of river Ganga between Kannauj to Varanasi in the month of
September 2010. Of these 7 were found closed during inspection, 2 were
complying to the prescribed discharge norms, 9 were requiring minor
improvements, 4 have been issued directions (under section 5 of Environment
Protection Act 1986) for closure, 3 have been issued directions for corrective
measures (under section 5 of Environment Protection Act 1986) and 1 have been
issued Show Cause notice for closure (under section 5 of Environment Protection
Act 1986).
·
Pollution Load Assessment study is ongoing from
the outfall of major sources with the help of Pollution Control Research
Institute at Haridwar, Centre for Environment & Nature Conservation, Patna
University and Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Supreme Court of
India
The Supreme Court has been working on the closure and
relocation of many of the industrial plants along the Ganges and in 2010 the
government declared the stretch of river between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi an
“eco-sensitive zone”
The success of these projects depends largely on the
cooperation of the ordinary citizen. Whether it is lack of awareness or sheer
indifference to the plight of India’s rivers, a shift in mindset is paramount.
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