Heavy metals found in sewage of Jagadhri’s main nullah

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, September 20

Heavy metals have been found in the sewage of the main nullah of Jagadhri, which falls in the ditch drain in Yamunanagar, causing health-related problems to residents of more than 12 villages of Karnal district.

Officials of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Yamunanagar, took samples from 11 different places from this nullah in August 2018.

As per report of the samples, the quantity of iron was found to be 97.732 mg per litre against the permissible limit of 3 mg per litre near Saint Thomas School, Jagadhri and 14.682 mg per litre in the ditch drain after 25 MLD STP at Yamunanagar.

The permissible limit of copper is 3 mg per litre, but it was found to be 31.61 mg per litre near Saint Thomas School. However, it was found 1.639 mg per litre in the ditch drain.

Similarly, the quantity of zinc was found to be 10.2 mg per litre near bus stand Jagadhri against the permissible limit of 5.0 mg per litre. However, it was found as 1.493 mg per litre in the ditch drain.

Sources said this nullah carried untreated industrial effluents of metal industry as well as domestic effluents of Jagadhri town.

According to information, residents of Kalri, Chandron, Hanshu Majra, Gari Birbal, Kalsaura, Sikdarpur, Dabkoli, Dabkoli Khurd, Shergarh Tapu and other villages complained a few months ago to Food and Civil Supply Minister Karan Dev Kamboj about the problems being faced by them due to the polluted water of the ditch drain.

These villages fall in the Indri Assembly constituency of Karnal district, being represented by Karan Dev Kamboj as the BJP MLA.

On the directions of Kamboj, officials of the HSPCB took samples of sewage from 11 different points of the nullah.

“People complained to me about the foul smell emanating from the polluted water of this drain and skin-related problems they were facing. They also told me that chemical foam with water is coming out from their tubewells,” said Kamboj.

He said he had asked officials of the departments concerned to solve this problem at the earliest.

Rajinder Sharma, regional officer of the HSPCB, who was transferred to Panchkula, yesterday said the samples of the said nullah were taken by them and their reports had come.