CONCEPT – POLLUTED RIVER STRETCHES

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CONCEPT – POLLUTED RIVER STRETCHES

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• Too much sewage, too little treatment: A Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report of 2015 brought out the fact that 61,948 million litres of urban sewage is generated on a daily basis in India. But the cities have an installed sewage treatment capacity of only 38 per cent of this. In reality more than this amount goes untreated into the rivers or water bodies as the treatment capacity of major sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the country is around 66 per cent of the installed capacity as per CPCB findings of 2013.
• Daily pollution: As a result, more than 38,000 million litres of waste water goes into the major rivers, water bodies and even percolates into the ground every day. Over and above this there is industrial effluent. The data on the raw sewage from rural areas is not available.
• CPCB directions 2015: In April 2015, CPCB issued directions to all the state pollution control boards/pollution control committees in the country for setting up of STPs in their respective states so that untreated sewage does not enter the rivers. The same directions were also issued by CPCB to all 69 municipal authorities of metropolitan towns and capital cities in October 2015. 

• Spending huge sums: Crores of rupees have been pumped in for cleaning rivers under the Centre’s National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart Cities Mission programmes of the Ministry of Urban Development and the “Namami Gange” under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MOWR).

1. Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) is taking care of the sanitation projects for villages near Ganga along with MOWR.
2. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has so far released Rs 2,066.98 crores for implementation of various pollution abatement projects and STPs of capacity 2,446.24 million litres per day (MLD) under NRCP.
3. Till March 2017, around Rs 7,000 crores was spent only for cleaning the Ganga, as noted in an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The states are also getting financial assistance in the form of loans and grants that are sanctioned by foreign agencies.
4. The concerned citizens and civil societies have moved the courts time and again to save rivers from pollution. In March 2017, Uttarakhand declared Ganga and Yamuna as living entities thinking that this will conserve and rejuvenate the rivers faster.
5. But in July, the Supreme Court stayed the order taking note of its legal and administrative ramifications.

• Pollution levels: Still pollution level in rivers of India has not shown any sign of improvement. Around 302 polluted stretches on 275 rivers were reported in 2016, and the number rose to 351 in 2018. The top five states showing maximum number of polluted stretches are Maharashtra, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal. Estimated polluted riverine length is 12,363 km, which is almost five times the length of Ganga main stem.

• Identification of polluted river stretches: The CPCB is monitoring the water quality in India under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme. The water quality data is analysed and monitoring locations exceeding the water quality criteria are identified as polluted locations with respect to risk.
• Levels: Priority levels of polluted stretch is based on the risk. Risk is defined as RISK= FREQUENCY OF VIOLATION OF CRITERIA X CONSEQUENCE (MAGNITUDE) The degree of violation is with respect to water quality criteria for drinking water source with conventional treatment with respect to BOD.

• Criteria for Priority 1

1. Monitoring locations exceeding BOD concentration 30 mg/l has been considered as it is the standard of sewage treatment plant and in river it appears without dilution.(River locations having water quality exceeding discharge standards for BOD to fresh water sources)
2. All monitoring locations exceeding BOD concentration 6 mg/l on all occasions.
3. Monitoring locations exceeding 3 mg/l BOD are not meeting desired water quality criteria but does not affect to Dissolved Oxygen level in water bodies. If BOD exceeds 6mg/l in water body, the Dissolved Oxygen is reduced below desired levels.
4. The raw water having BOD levels upto 5 mg/l are does not form complex chemicals on chlorination for municipal water supplies. Hence the water bodies having BOD more than 6 mg/l are considered as polluted and identified for remedial action.
5. List of identified stretches enclosed.

• Criteria for Priority 2

1. Monitoring locations having BOD between 20-30 mg/l.
2. All monitoring locations exceeding BOD concentration 6 mg/l on all occasions.
3. List of identified stretches enclosed.

• Criteria for Priority 3

1. Monitoring locations having BOD between 10-20 mg/l.
2. All monitoring locations exceeding BOD concentration 6 mg/l on all occasions.
3. List of identified stretches enclosed.

• Criteria for Priority 4

1. Monitoring locations having BOD between 6-10 mg/l.
2. List of identified stretches enclosed.

• Criteria for Priority 5

1. Monitoring locations having BOD between 3-6 mg/l.
2. The locations exceeding desired water quality of 3mg/l BOD.
3. List of identified stretches enclosed.

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