ROURKELA: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) took stringent measures on Tuesday to address the ongoing pollution in the Brahmani and Koel rivers. Officials from OSPCB’s Regional Office in Rourkela conducted surprise inspections, revealing untreated sewage water discharge from various points, particularly at the National Institute of Technology-Rourkela (NIT-R) campus.
The inspection found that untreated sewage and sullage waste water from NIT-R’s academic, administrative, and residential buildings, including hostels, were directly released to a low-lying area near Bartoli behind the NIT-R campus. This untreated waste water then flowed into the Koel river through a natural drain near Jhirpani bridge. The OSPCB expressed disappointment that NIT-R, despite providing technical guidance on waste management, lacked compliance in its own practices.
A written instruction was immediately issued to the NIT-R Director, demanding immediate corrective measures for sewage and sullage waste water treatment and proper handling of solid waste on the campus. The institute is required to submit an action taken report soon.
The inspection team also visited waste water discharge points near Jhirpani bridge and Koelnagar, identifying the direct release of filthy water from Koelnagar, Jagda, and Jhirpani into the Koel river. Additionally, untreated waste water was found directly entering the Brahmani river near Panposh from various pockets within the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) limits.
OSPCB regional officer and additional chief environment scientist AK Mallick said necessary instructions have been issued to NIT-R and other organisations to prevent further pollution of river water. Notably, multiple discharge points are situated near drinking water intake wells of the Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) and Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of SAIL on both rivers.
In a related development, it was revealed that a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) for 11 NIT-R hostels constructed a decade ago is defunct. A new STP of 1.5 Million Litres per Day (MLD) is under construction.
However, it is expected to take at least 30 months to become operational. NIT-R registrar Rohan Dhiman said, “The foundation for the new STP was recently laid and we hope to start work shortly.”