ByBinay Singh, TNN | Feb 22, 2013, 02.57 AM IST
http://timesofindia.
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VARANASI: An expert member of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and noted environmentalist at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) claims that the natural and uninterrupted flow of Ganga is the first and most important condition to make the river clean.
"If the natural flow of Ganga is maintained there would be no need of huge investments in creating series of sewage treatment plants," claimed the NGRBA member and BHU environmentalist Prof BD Tripathi. According to him, the running water in natural flow would do its job of pollution abatement to a great extent by diluting the pollution load of the river.
In support of his claim he gives the example of the status of Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) during Maha Kumbh bathing in Sangam, Allahabad. "The Maha Kumbh of Allahabad gave a clear message that the goal of pollution abatement in Ganga could be achieved by ensuring adequate flow in the river," said Tripathi adding that allowing free flow of Ganga would reduce the cost of big projects.
According to him, Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) gives an idea of quantity of biodegradable organic substances present in water, which is subjected to aerobic decomposition of microorganism. It provides a direct measurement of state of pollution in water. Normally the BOD level in Ganga water ranges from 3-5mg/l. After bathing by 10 crore pilgrims during Maha Kumbh in Allahabad the BOD level should increase up to 25-30mg/l, but a rise of only 7-9mg/l was noticed during this period. He said that no wastewater treatment facility was created exclusively for Maha Kumbh. "The only thing that prevented the BOD level from rising alarmingly was the release of additional water into Ganga during the Kumbh. It clearly suggests that the free flow of water is the best solution of the pollution problem of the Ganga", he said. Tripathi claimed that his observation was based on the examination of water samples taken from the Sangam during Kumbh.
However, the regional officer of the UP Pollution Control Board, Allahabad Mohammed Sikandar, when contacted over phone on Wednesday, informed that four new sewage treatment plants were constructed at different locations in Allahabad in view of Maha Kumbh mela. "Presently there are six STPs including two old ones with a total capacity of 211MLD in Allahabad while the total generation of sewage is 240MLD," informed Sikandar. According to him, the BOD levels recorded on February 15 ranged from 5mg/l to 5.5mg/l. "It is true that the release of water in Ganga reduced the BOD level in the water," he said.
"There is a need of strong political will to clean the Ganga, but unfortunately it seems that no political party is really interested in cleaning the river," Tripathi said. It may be mentioned here that the central government gave Ganga the status of a National River and constituted the NGRBA in February 2009. The NGRBA is a planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating body of the centre and the states. The objective of the NGRBA is to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach for comprehensive planning and management. The authority has both regulatory and developmental functions.
It may also be mentioned here that chairing the third meeting of NGRBA on April 17, 2012, the prime minister Manmohan Singh had also spoken about action and attention to maintain the ecological flow of the Ganga, starting with the upper reaches of the river. The PM had also pointed out that every day about 2,900 million litres of sewage is discharged into the main stream of the river Ganga from municipal towns located along its banks. The existing infrastructure has a capacity to treat only 1,100 million litres per day, leaving a huge deficit. The another issue was with regard to industrial pollution. Though they are only 20% of the total volume of effluents, industrial effluents are a cause for major concern because they are toxic and non-biodegradable.
![http://www.indiawaterportal.org/sites/indiawaterportal.org/files/Sewere_Drain_outfall_into_R.Ganga_us_of_Har-ki-Pauri_at_Lok_Nath_Ghat.JPG]()
The PM asked the chief ministers to make an assessment of the situation with regard to both untreated sewage and industrial pollution and present a report to the NRGBA on the situation in their respective states. The concerned state governments were also asked to make full use of the resources that are available with the NGRBA. Projects with an outlay of more than Rs 2600 crore have been sanctioned so far under the NGRBA in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal for creating sewer networks, sewage treatment plants, sewage pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets and development of river fronts.
http://timesofindia.
VARANASI: An expert member of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and noted environmentalist at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) claims that the natural and uninterrupted flow of Ganga is the first and most important condition to make the river clean.
"If the natural flow of Ganga is maintained there would be no need of huge investments in creating series of sewage treatment plants," claimed the NGRBA member and BHU environmentalist Prof BD Tripathi. According to him, the running water in natural flow would do its job of pollution abatement to a great extent by diluting the pollution load of the river.
In support of his claim he gives the example of the status of Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) during Maha Kumbh bathing in Sangam, Allahabad. "The Maha Kumbh of Allahabad gave a clear message that the goal of pollution abatement in Ganga could be achieved by ensuring adequate flow in the river," said Tripathi adding that allowing free flow of Ganga would reduce the cost of big projects.
According to him, Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) gives an idea of quantity of biodegradable organic substances present in water, which is subjected to aerobic decomposition of microorganism. It provides a direct measurement of state of pollution in water. Normally the BOD level in Ganga water ranges from 3-5mg/l. After bathing by 10 crore pilgrims during Maha Kumbh in Allahabad the BOD level should increase up to 25-30mg/l, but a rise of only 7-9mg/l was noticed during this period. He said that no wastewater treatment facility was created exclusively for Maha Kumbh. "The only thing that prevented the BOD level from rising alarmingly was the release of additional water into Ganga during the Kumbh. It clearly suggests that the free flow of water is the best solution of the pollution problem of the Ganga", he said. Tripathi claimed that his observation was based on the examination of water samples taken from the Sangam during Kumbh.
However, the regional officer of the UP Pollution Control Board, Allahabad Mohammed Sikandar, when contacted over phone on Wednesday, informed that four new sewage treatment plants were constructed at different locations in Allahabad in view of Maha Kumbh mela. "Presently there are six STPs including two old ones with a total capacity of 211MLD in Allahabad while the total generation of sewage is 240MLD," informed Sikandar. According to him, the BOD levels recorded on February 15 ranged from 5mg/l to 5.5mg/l. "It is true that the release of water in Ganga reduced the BOD level in the water," he said.
"There is a need of strong political will to clean the Ganga, but unfortunately it seems that no political party is really interested in cleaning the river," Tripathi said. It may be mentioned here that the central government gave Ganga the status of a National River and constituted the NGRBA in February 2009. The NGRBA is a planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating body of the centre and the states. The objective of the NGRBA is to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach for comprehensive planning and management. The authority has both regulatory and developmental functions.
It may also be mentioned here that chairing the third meeting of NGRBA on April 17, 2012, the prime minister Manmohan Singh had also spoken about action and attention to maintain the ecological flow of the Ganga, starting with the upper reaches of the river. The PM had also pointed out that every day about 2,900 million litres of sewage is discharged into the main stream of the river Ganga from municipal towns located along its banks. The existing infrastructure has a capacity to treat only 1,100 million litres per day, leaving a huge deficit. The another issue was with regard to industrial pollution. Though they are only 20% of the total volume of effluents, industrial effluents are a cause for major concern because they are toxic and non-biodegradable.
The PM asked the chief ministers to make an assessment of the situation with regard to both untreated sewage and industrial pollution and present a report to the NRGBA on the situation in their respective states. The concerned state governments were also asked to make full use of the resources that are available with the NGRBA. Projects with an outlay of more than Rs 2600 crore have been sanctioned so far under the NGRBA in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal for creating sewer networks, sewage treatment plants, sewage pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets and development of river fronts.
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