The pollution in rivers is increasing: Source Government data
In the beginning of 2019 India’s minister of states in the ministry of
environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) Mahesh Sharma revealed to the
parliament that polluted river stretches across the country has increased in
the past few years.
Polluted river stretches have increased over the years in southern
states more.
Who watches
over water pollution in India?
The central pollution control board (CPCB) associates with State
pollution Control Boards to monitor water quality of rivers across the country.
However, under State pollution control board there comes the National
Water Quality Program, under which there is a network of monitoring stations.
These monitoring stations collect data.
What are the
key indicators of River Pollution?
The key indicator which is often used by the government agencies is
based on bio- chemical Oxygen (BOD) levels. The BOD is a key indicator of
organic pollution.
Effluents reduce the oxygen content of water bodies because it is used
up by chemicals in the decomposition process. This fall in oxygen levels kills
fish and other creatures.
What is the
Reason for Pollution in Rivers?
Most of the pollution in Indian river is done by sewage and garbage. The attitude of people towards rivers remains
bad where pouring anything into river does not matter. Big industries, also
don’t even care about the rivers because first they are unaware of the problems
created by the pollution.
Rivers are facing lack flow, pollution, encroachments, unsustainable
mining, and destruction of habitat. In mountains, streams are running dry for
most of the time, while in urban areas they are overloaded with pollution.
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Is it possible to get all rivers
clean by 2030?
India’s dream to clean its river by 2030 seems almost impossible.
'Cleaning rivers' target remain a distant dream as the government’s on own data
reveals that the number of polluted stretches of rivers across the country has
increased in the last few years and the ambitious plan to clean river Ganga is
yet to yield concrete results.
While outlining the government’s vision for 2030 in the interim budget
2019-2020 in the parliament in February 2019, the government has worked
vigorously for cleaning River Ganga.
States with Number of Pollution Rivers
One of India’s most industrialized states, Maharashtra was the worst at
keeping its rivers clean; accounting for 16% of the country’s polluted river
stretches in five years to 2012, show government data.
Maharashtra had two to three times the number if polluted stretches than
the next four worst states: Assam (28), Madhya Pradesh (21), Gujarat (20) and
West Bengal (17). Together, the top five polluting states accounted for 45% of
India’s polluted river stretches between 2008 and 2012.
Toxic waste has been choking Maharashtra’s rivers, and fishing
communities complain that their daily catch is only 10% of what it used to be.
On 11th April 2019 The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a central monitoring
committee to prepare and enforce a national plan to make over 350 river
stretches pollution free across the country.
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The committee would comprise representative
of NITI Aayog; secretaries of Ministry of water resources, Ministry of Urban
Development and Ministry of Environment; the director general of National
Mission for Clean Ganga and the Central Pollution Control Board chairman.
The committee will also coordinate with the
river rejuvenation committees of the states and oversee the execution of the
action plans, taking into account the timelines, budgetary mechanism and other
factors.
Chief Secretaries of states would be the
nodal agency at the state level.
NGT directed the Ministry of environment to
consider a policy for giving environmental awards to outstanding persons
(natural and juristic) and institutions of states and introducing
“dis-incentives” for non-compliant states.
The central monitoring committee may consider
identifying experts, best practices and models for use of treated water,
including plan to supply untreated sewage for a price or otherwise so that the
concerned needy party can treat and utilize such water as is reportedly being
done at Surat in Gujarat, Nagpur in Maharashtra and Bhilwada in Rajasthan or
any other place.
Use of polluted water in irrigation is a
threat to the health of human beings apart from the aquatic flora and fauna.
Hence it is necessary to have a regular hygienic survey of the rivers
particularly with reference to pathogenic organisms having an impact on human
health directly or indirectly and it is necessary to note that biological
health of the rivers is an important aspect.
There has to be a regular study of the Indian
rovers with regard to biological health and its diversity.
The NGT has issued the order after taking
note of the article “More river stretches are now critically polluted.
Why should we stop river pollution?
Pollution kills water plants and animals.
Polluted water also carries diseases. When animals drink the water, they may get diseases which can kill them. People can even get these diseases by eating the infected animal. This happens a lot in poor countries in Africa where people get untreated water directly from the river.
How can we stop water pollution?
The problem is very complicated and people
take pollution in river very lightly. Like NGT has played its role, there are
certain things which should be followed by people and government. Three
different things that can help to tackle the problem—education, laws, and
economics—and they work together as a team.
Education
Making people aware of the problem is the
first step to solving it. In the early 1990s, when surfers in Britain grew
tired of catching illnesses from water polluted with sewage, they formed a
group called Surfers Against Sewage to force governments and water companies to
clean up their act.
People who've grown tired of walking
the world's polluted beaches often band together to organize community
beach-cleaning sessions. Anglers who no longer catch so many fish have
campaigned for tougher penalties against factories that pour pollution into our
rivers. Greater public awareness can make a positive difference.
Laws
One of the biggest problems with water
pollution is its transboundary nature. Many rivers cross countries, while seas
span whole continents.
Pollution discharged by factories in one
country with poor environmental standards can cause problems in neighbouring
nations, even when they have tougher laws and higher standards.
Environmental laws can make it tougher for
people to pollute, but to be really effective they have to operate across
national and international borders.
This is why we have international laws
governing the oceans, such as the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
(signed by over 120 nations), the 1972 London (Dumping) Convention, the 1978
MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, and
the 1998 OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
North East Atlantic.
The European Union has water-protection laws
(known as directives) that apply to all of its member states.
Economics
Most environmental experts agree that the
best way to tackle pollution is through something called the polluter pays
principle.
This means that whoever causes pollution
should have to pay to clean it up, one way or another. Polluter pays can
operate in all kinds of ways. It could mean that tanker owners should have to
take out insurance that covers the cost of oil spill clean-ups, for example.
It could also mean that shoppers should have
to pay for their plastic grocery bags, as is now common in Ireland, to
encourage recycling and minimize waste. Or it could mean that factories that
use rivers must have their water inlet pipes downstream of their effluent
outflow pipes, so if they cause pollution, they themselves are the first people
to suffer.
Ultimately, the polluter pays principle is
designed to deter people from polluting by making it less expensive for them to
behave in an environmentally responsible way.
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