9 of the most polluted rivers of the country are of Uttarakhand, Suswa is the dirtiest in the mountain
Nine rivers in Uttarakhand, which are the origin of Ganga-Yamuna, are included in the list of most polluted rivers of the country. The challenge before the state government, which has announced to make Uttarakhand a leading state by 2025, is to make these rivers pollution free. The drinking water ministry of the state is considering a plan to make these rivers clean under the Namami Gange scheme.
According to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board, Bio Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), an indicator of organic pollution in the country, identified 357 polluted river stretches on 323 rivers. These polluted river stretches include nine rivers of Uttarakhand.
This is BOD
The amount of oxygen that is required for the biochemical decomposition of organic matter in water is called BOD. The higher the amount of BOD in the water, the more polluted the river will be.
Most polluted river in Suswa state
According to the report, the Suswa river in the state is the most polluted between Mothrawala to Raiwala. The BOD level in milligrams per liter in the river is 37, whereas for a pollution free river the level of BOD in it should be less than one milligram per liter.
Rivers of the State and Level of BOD in it
The challenge of keeping the rivers clean before the state government
The state government has resolved to make Uttarakhand a leading state in the country by 2025. In this, apart from the plans related to the development of the state, the goals of protection and cleanliness of the environment are also included. The challenge of keeping nine polluted rivers of the state clean in the next three years is for the government to overcome. Experts believe that for this the government will have to make a policy of cleanliness of rivers at the local level along with Namami Gange scheme.
Efforts are being made to make Ganga and its tributaries pollution free under the Namami Gange scheme. We have installed STPs in all the cities connected with Ganga. Now we are starting a trial of Japanese technology for the treatment of sewerage of localities and settlements. These will be used to make other polluted rivers pollution free.Nitesh Jha, Secretary, Drinking Water
Nitesh Jha, Secretary, Drinking Water
