BHUBANESWAR:Even as State Government is at loggerheads with its Chhattisgarh counterparts over sharing of Mahanadi water, rising pollution in all major rivers has put the State in a tight spot.Sources said the water quality of 11 listed rivers in the State has downgraded from its standard quality due to discharge of waste water from the urban localities without treatment.
The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has warned about the deteriorating quality of water in Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Rushikulya, Nagavali, Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, Kolab, Vansadhara, Indravati and Bahuda rivers.The SPCB monitors the quality of water in the 11 rivers through 129 stations. The data is collected with respect to four critical parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand and total coliform.
Municipal sewage is considered to be the main pollutant of water as most of the sewage receives no treatment before discharge. Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur cities generate around 40 lakh litre of sewage effluent everyday.The effluent is discharged into Kuakhai and Daya rivers at Bhubaneswar, Mahanadi and Kathajodi rivers at Cuttack, Rushikulya at Berhampur, Brahmani at Rourkela and Mahanadi at Sambalpur.
“The effluent, which are rich with harmful bacteria and viruses that contaminate the river water, contain heavy metals like lead, chromium, cadmium, zinc and mercury leading to diseases,” said an official of SPCB.People in urban areas use over 300 litre water each day for different domestic purposes. About 70-80 per cent of the water drains out to nearby water bodies or river through drains and nullahs thereby polluting the water.
Meanwhile, perturbed over the rising river pollution, the State Government has directed the urban local bodies to initiate measures for appropriate treatment of domestic used water prior to discharging into nearby water bodies.
Additional Director of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) Kalyan Kumar Rath has shot off letters to commissioners of Municipal Corporations at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur besides the executive officers of all municipalities and NACs.
They have been asked to focus on treatment of waste water before it is discharged to rivers and initiate action if anyone is found polluting the water bodies by dumping waste materials or garbage.