BHUBANESWAR: Even as the polluted Ganga has moved Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create an independent Ministry to clean the holy river, the filthy and contaminated state of rivers flowing through major urban centres of Odisha has got alarm bells ringing.
The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has put as many as 18 cities and towns including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on notice for abetting pollution of the rivers passing through them. Almost all major rivers including Mahanadi, Baitarani, Brahmani, Kathjodi, Budhabalanga, Subarnarekha, Vansadhara and Rushikulya have suffered the same fate with their waters deemed unfit for bathing, let alone drinking.
The Board, which is regularly monitoring the water quality in the rivers both at upstream and down stream locations along the urban centres, has found acute deterioration in water quality rendering it hazardous for everyday use.
Significant deviations have been recorded in the Total Coliform bacteria (TC), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) values across the rivers. These can be mainly attributed to direct discharge of untreated waste and sewage into the rivers, the SPCB has observed, holding the urban local bodies responsible for the situation.
As it has released the 2013 report on 12 rivers in terms of water quality and contamination, shocking revelations have come to the fore with Cuttack and Bhubaneswar registering the most severe pollution levels.
At Mahanadi downstream of Cuttack, the annual average of the most probable number (mpn) or concentration of TC was found to be as high as 82,000 per 100 ml against the permitted range of 500 to 5000 on accounts of bathing and drinking water use only after undergoing disinfection and conventional treatment respectively. TC concentration in the water reached a maximum of 1.60 lakh during some periods of the year.
The downstream of Kathjodi too reached a maximum TC concentration of 92,000 per 100 ml while the annual average was around 43,700. The annual average BOD level at downstream near Matgazpur was an astounding 12.4 mg per litre even as the tolerance limit has been prescribed in the range of less than 3 mg per litre.
Kuakhai river, which is the main source of drinking water for the Capital city, has presented extremely disturbing picture. The monitoring of water quality at the PHED intake point revealed a maximum 1.60 lakh TC concentration while the annual average was measured at 22,460, way above the permissible limits.
The downstream of Daya river after the confluence with Gangua Nullah also recorded maximum TC of 92,000 with annual average of 49,300, the report stated.
Issuing a memo to all the ULBs, the SPCB has sought immediate corrective action to curb pollution of the rivers flowing through them.