PHULBANI: The Permanent Lok Adalat (PLA) Phulbani has directed the district administration and Phulbani Municipality to maintain the cleanliness of the Pila Salunki river flowing in the heart of the town with immediate effect.
Disposing of a petition filed by several individuals and Nadi Surakhya Abhiyan Manch, a not-for-profit organisation, Chairman and member of the PLA directed the district administration and municipality to construct a drain alongside the river starting from Peon Pada to Phulbani Sahi to carry all sewage, garbage and waste from households and municipality drainage to a distant place so that after proper scientific filtration, and then channelise into the river.
The authorities were also directed to instal a sewage treatment plant at Phulbani town, creating awareness in public not to dump garbage and waste in the river and take legal and penal action against anyone found dumping household waste in the river. The river that surrounds Phulbani town was once considered the lifeline of its residents who used the water for drinking and bathing purposes.
Polluted due to illegal discharge of sewage from the septic tank of the houses situated on the bank of the river and wastewater from the residential complexes, hotels, and other buildings into the river, the water has been rendered unfit for consumption.
In 2017, a campaign was started by Nadi Surakhya Abhiyan to make the river pollution-free in which people of riverside villages Dakapala, Damigaon, Nadikhandi Sahi and Phulbani Sahi took part.
They demanded the administration to take appropriate steps so that the river water will remain free of pollution but nothing yielded result.