Steps taken by local communities to save the Hindon river
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Courts are taking a note of the pollution problem
The study by Lewis led to the filing of a Public Interest Litigation in the Allahabad High Court in 2007 by Janhit Foundation. In response to a court order, the Pollution Control Board had filed a counter-affidavit indicating that the industries along the river were treating their effluents regularly before discharging them into the river, and had blamed the report for overstating the pollution levels in the river. The agency made a volte face recently in December 2014. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) agreed in an affidavit to the National Green Tribunal that the Hindon river’s water quality in Uttar Pradesh does not meet the prescribed standards and is unfit for bathing and recommended a ban on discharging of untreated waste into the river.
More recently, the National Green Tribunal had in March 2015 ordered the constitution of a Committee comprising of government agencies and had issued orders directing these to ensure that throwing of all kinds of waste into the Hindon Canal was banned. Earlier in 2013, the Tribunal had directed that the flood plain of the Hindon and the Yamuna be protected, and had ordered the demolition of unauthorised and illegal constructions at the flood plains of the rivers in Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Is it possible to establish long-term policies to resolve the crisis?
The fate of the people and whether the pollution issues will be resolved in the near future is hard to tell. This is the right time for the State Government to offer viable solutions. At a 'Hindon-Yamuna-Ganga River Panchayat' held by Jal Jan Jodo Abhiyan, a group working on water issues in India, the issue of freeing river areas from encroachment, of separating the river and urban sewage, and the reuse of treated water for agriculture was spelt out. Cleaning of the Ganga and the Yamuna would be non starters if tributaries like the Hindon were not cleaned, according to Rajendra Singh of Tarun Bharat Singh.
Dr. Veena Khanduri, Executive Director of India Water Partnership, an organization which has been supporting river conservation work in the area says, “At a Government level, the first priority should be to increase the water in the Hindon, reduce its pollution and treat the polluted waters. The second priority should be to form a Steering Committee under the leadership of the senior most representative of the Irrigation Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh with multi-stakeholder representation. This Committee should take the lead to prepare a strategy, action points and monitor the stages of work related to the Hindon. The local drains falling into the Hindon require periodical water quality testing and the reports should be placed in the public domain. Fixing of responsibilities and accountability of each stakeholder can be the key to success”, Dr. Khanduri says.
Tyagi says. “It’s high time the bureaucracy tightens the regulations so industries cannot ignore their downstream pollution. Why let them get away with it?"
“Since the Pollution Control Board continues to be apathetic, why not make it mandatory for industry(s)/ residential colonies to treat wastes at local levels? This would end the practice of untreated wastewater release to rivers. In fact, there should be incentives to industry/ farmers to reuse the treated waters", says Vatsa. He adds that the problem is complex and fears that a state led large-scale conservation plan for the river will lead to some measures against pollution being partly tended to but with no long lasting impact.
“After all there is no single administrative body in charge of water quality improvement and this will lead to lack of accountability. We will have more rubber dams – big and small, riverfront beautification, more Sewage Treatment Plants but the conservation work will not be sustained”, he says.
Only time will tell whether the pollution of the Hindon remains a pending issue or if long-term policies are established to resolve the crisis
The study by Lewis led to the filing of a Public Interest Litigation in the Allahabad High Court in 2007 by Janhit Foundation. In response to a court order, the Pollution Control Board had filed a counter-affidavit indicating that the industries along the river were treating their effluents regularly before discharging them into the river, and had blamed the report for overstating the pollution levels in the river. The agency made a volte face recently in December 2014. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) agreed in an affidavit to the National Green Tribunal that the Hindon river’s water quality in Uttar Pradesh does not meet the prescribed standards and is unfit for bathing and recommended a ban on discharging of untreated waste into the river.
More recently, the National Green Tribunal had in March 2015 ordered the constitution of a Committee comprising of government agencies and had issued orders directing these to ensure that throwing of all kinds of waste into the Hindon Canal was banned. Earlier in 2013, the Tribunal had directed that the flood plain of the Hindon and the Yamuna be protected, and had ordered the demolition of unauthorised and illegal constructions at the flood plains of the rivers in Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Is it possible to establish long-term policies to resolve the crisis?
The fate of the people and whether the pollution issues will be resolved in the near future is hard to tell. This is the right time for the State Government to offer viable solutions. At a 'Hindon-Yamuna-Ganga River Panchayat' held by Jal Jan Jodo Abhiyan, a group working on water issues in India, the issue of freeing river areas from encroachment, of separating the river and urban sewage, and the reuse of treated water for agriculture was spelt out. Cleaning of the Ganga and the Yamuna would be non starters if tributaries like the Hindon were not cleaned, according to Rajendra Singh of Tarun Bharat Singh.
Dr. Veena Khanduri, Executive Director of India Water Partnership, an organization which has been supporting river conservation work in the area says, “At a Government level, the first priority should be to increase the water in the Hindon, reduce its pollution and treat the polluted waters. The second priority should be to form a Steering Committee under the leadership of the senior most representative of the Irrigation Department of the Government of Uttar Pradesh with multi-stakeholder representation. This Committee should take the lead to prepare a strategy, action points and monitor the stages of work related to the Hindon. The local drains falling into the Hindon require periodical water quality testing and the reports should be placed in the public domain. Fixing of responsibilities and accountability of each stakeholder can be the key to success”, Dr. Khanduri says.
Tyagi says. “It’s high time the bureaucracy tightens the regulations so industries cannot ignore their downstream pollution. Why let them get away with it?"
“Since the Pollution Control Board continues to be apathetic, why not make it mandatory for industry(s)/ residential colonies to treat wastes at local levels? This would end the practice of untreated wastewater release to rivers. In fact, there should be incentives to industry/ farmers to reuse the treated waters", says Vatsa. He adds that the problem is complex and fears that a state led large-scale conservation plan for the river will lead to some measures against pollution being partly tended to but with no long lasting impact.
“After all there is no single administrative body in charge of water quality improvement and this will lead to lack of accountability. We will have more rubber dams – big and small, riverfront beautification, more Sewage Treatment Plants but the conservation work will not be sustained”, he says.
Only time will tell whether the pollution of the Hindon remains a pending issue or if long-term policies are established to resolve the crisis
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