By Mr Pankaj Bhatnagar
Recently an article in Times of India about IIT (M) Stüdy on Cauvery river Pollution provoked me to write this Article on water safety. IIT (M) has done a study for two years and collected samples from 22 spots along the upstream and downstream of Cauvery, and They found 11 pharmaceutically Active compounds (PhAc) and Heavy Metals Like zinc, manganese, lead Chromium, Nickel , copper, aluminium, mercury, arsenic and cadmium.
All above PhAc and heavy Metals are highly harmful and toxic for People, as well as for aquatic animals So what are we doing? What Government is doing? Are we drinking safe Water? What about aquatic population in these rivers?
There are many more questions come to our mind. The government has established Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and The water (Prevention and control of pollution) act was enacted in 1974 for the prevention
and control of water pollution and for maintaining or restoring of whole someness water in the country. This act was amended twice in 1988 and 2003. The CPCB in 2018 identified 351 polluted rivers in India. The Maharashtra has the highest number of Polluted river stretches (53), Assam (44), M.P. (22) Kerala (21) Gujrat (20) Odisha (19) and W.B & Karnataka (17) each. So it clearly shows that rising pollution of after 20 major river basins and is major Concern of govt. & population.
It is a major concern because37% of Agriculture land inIndiais irrigated by these rivers , apart From that several wildlife sanctuaries are located on the banks of These rivers The rivers of India provideLivelihood of millions of people’s And source of drinking water toMany big & small cities and its Population. Because of the importance of rivers in India , It isNecessary for us to knowthe reasons of their pollution and its Conséquences
There are several causes of Pollution but some most common Causes across the country are as Follows –
- Chemical Effluents or Industrial waste.
- Garbage dumping
- Municipal sewage
- Cremation & last rites
CPCB assessed the total volume of municipal waste water generation in the country at about 61,948 MLD as against the installed sewage treatment capacity of 23,277 MLD leaving a wide gap of more than 38,671 MLD. Similar observations were made by WHO in its reports on water pollution.
These major sources of Pollution mostly lead to following consequences –
1~Health & diseases
The carcinogenic compounds Like heavy, metals leads to Many Health related issues and some times Turn into severe health issues Like cancer, TB, Skin allergies and Digestive system problems.
2~ Impact on aquatic and landAnimals
These polluted rivers poses A big threat to aquatic animals Like fish, turtles etc and Also on land animals as many Wildlife Sanctuaries are situated On the banks of many Rivers.
3~ Impact on agriculture and land
The polluted water is used for Irrigation purpose and it’shazardous chemicals pollutes the agriculture produce which in turn againHave impact on human health. It has slow but grave impact on soil condition and its fertility.
Conclusion.
The rivers and Water bodies pollution is major Area of concern, though government Has taken many Decisions to reduce the Pollution to rivers but its high time
For State govt, and for we people To create awareness among citizens of India to change the rituals And habits which in turn pollute Our rivers, lakes and ponds.
Author ; Mr Pankaj Bhatnagar has an enormous experience behind him, having spent almost 40 years in the Food and Agriculture Industry. He has served the industry for such a long period that he is well aware of its nitty gritties and the problems/challenges that Indian agriculture and the farmers face, consequently he is able to provide a Holistic view of the various aspects that have an impact on Indian agriculture and Food industry.
DISCLAIMER
Views expressed above are the author's own