Toxic chemicals finding way into Sirsa river

Ambika Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Solan, April 2

In violation of the Hazardous Waste Management Rules-2016 in the Marrawala area of Haryana bordering  the Baddi-Barotiwala industrial belt, chemical-ridden drums are being openly washed in the Sirsa river. Not only this, plastic waste can also be seen floating on the surface of the river and along its  banks, adversely affecting the sustenance of aquatic flora and fauna. 

Sources said the water quality of the river  was recently placed under ‘priority III’ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) during an assessment  based on the biological oxygen demand —  dissolved oxygen needed by organisms to break down organic material and content. It was found to be between 8 and 16 mg per litre as against the safe limit of 3 mg per litre, clearly pointing towards the deteriorating quality of water. 

  The CPCB,  in a report on  “River stretches for restoration of water Quality” released in September last year,  had  also identified 351 polluted stretches on 323 rivers, and this included the Sirsa river.  All states were directed to devise an effective action plan to improve the water quality.  

The sources said despite such an adverse assessment of its water quality, the key aspect of checking  the release of chemicals into the river from Marrwala had failed to figure in the action plan devised by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to improve the water quality.

Although the  SPCB has authorised dealers to wash chemical drums before disposing them, the latter  lack this facility. These drums are being conveniently transported from the BBN to Marrawala and washed in the river on a daily basis. In a majority of the cases, vehicles, including tractor-trailers, transporting these drums do not bear registration numbers. The police have also failed to check the movement of such vehicles. 

Member Secretary, SPCB, Dr RK Pruthi said they would take up the issue with their counterparts in Haryana as the Sirsa river further confluenced into the Sutlej and the practice was affecting the water quality.