Itanagar, Dec 6 (PTI) The water of the Siang river inArunachal Pradesh, which has turned dark and muddy, has becomeunfit for human consumption, the State Water Quality TestingLaboratory (SWQTL) has said in a report.
The river enters India after flowing through the Tibetanplateau as Yarlung Tsangpo. It flows through Arunachal Pradeshfor about 230 km to reach Pasighat and then joins the Lohitand the Dibang to form the Brahmaputra river in Assam.
The laboratory under the Arunachal Pradesh Public HealthEngineering and Water Supply (Sanitation) department, in itsreport, has said the water of the Siang is unfit for humanconsumption.
The report stated that the Nephelometric Turbidity Unit(NTU) content of the water sample was 482, while the ironcontent was recorded at 1.65 mg/litre, which was beyond thepermissible limits.
The water sample of the river was sent to the laboratoryby the Water Resources Department's Executive Engineer, TamoJamoh, on November 29, an official report informed.
According to experts, at normal level, iron is not deadlyfor the aquatic animals, but unusually high amounts of iron inwater may lead to adverse changes in its colour, odour andtaste and also have negative effects on the aquatic animals'behaviour and health.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had drawnthe attention of the Centre on the river's contamination,which he said might have been caused due to activities on theChinese side and asked the Government of India to take up thematter with Beijing.
During his visit to East Siang district on Saturday,Khandu had expressed concern over the water of the riverturning muddy and the hight content of NTU in it.
Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Ninong Ering had lastmonth written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in thisregard, noting that the water of the river changing its colourwas an unusual phenomenon in the winter months.
"It has been two months since the Siang turned black andcontaminated. It is an unusual phenomenon. The reason for theriver getting dirty is unknown," the Congress MP had said inthe letter.
Ering had claimed that there could be no reason for theriver getting contaminated in November other than a possibleheavy land excavation on the Chinese side, adding that it hadto be verified by an international team.
"I have already put up questions for discussions inParliament under rule 377. But since the House is not insession, I am requesting you to use your good office to seekthe reason for the river turning muddy in this season, whenthe water is usually crystal clear," Ering had written toModi. PTI UPL RGRC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.