In Haridwar, river muddied by govt apathy

Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 26

The Ganga continues to be as as polluted as ever right in Haridwar, the “gateway to gods” because of unchecked discharge of domestic sewage and affluents from industries.

There has been virtually no impact of the Ganga Action Plan, which was launched by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi about three decades ago. The amount of obnoxious discharge into the river has only picked up since 2000, the year when Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh. More than 10 nullahs from residential colonies, dharamshalas, ashrams, hotels and lodges are drained into the river near sanctum sanctorum of Har-ki-Pauri, adjacent Ganga ghats of Nai Sota, Subash Ghat, Kusahwrat, Birl and Alaknanda.

Though on paper nullahs are shown treated by the Ganga Pollution Control Department, Jal Sansthan and the Municipal Corporation, the reality speaks is all too apparent. Studies say in Haridwar alone more than 4 crore litres of sewage is produced daily, while the sewage treatment plant’s capacity is only 1.90 crore litres. A substantial amount of untreated waste material, therefore, flows into the Ganga every day.

Professor Dr Gagan Matta, who teaches environmental science at Gurukul Kangri University, in his research conducted on the Haridwar stretch of the Ganga recently, has found that pollution has significantly impacted the physical, chemical and microbiological aspects of the river.

Government agencies have failed to put in concerted efforts to clean the river. National Green Tribunal Justice Swatantra Kumar has asked government departments and nodal agencies concerned to seriously make efforts otherwise “even goddess Ganga will not forgive them.”

“The NGT court has directed representatives of various bodies concerned to be present at the hearing on November 16. Passing the buck would not help,” said NGT court Commissioner Sharik Zaidi.

“Nullahs are yet to be dealt with, plastic ban implemented and sewerage treatment plants are to be expanded or constructed. Plus, mass awareness needs to be generated. This is the situation a year after ‘Namami Gange’ project was initiated,” said Zaidi.