Labs to monitor mercury levels around Rihand dam

A committee of the National Green Tribunal set up to assess the environmental and health impact of pollution has recommended setting up of three labs to monitor the mercury levels in and around the Rihand Sagar area.

Updated on: Aug 27, 2015, 17:48:09 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

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A committee of the National Green Tribunal set up to assess the environmental and health impact of pollution has recommended setting up of three labs to monitor the mercury levels in and around the Rihand Sagar area.

The committee, in its latest report has recommended that the monitoring labs be set up at suitable locations in Singrauli area by the industries on ‘polluter pays principle’.

The committee has asked central pollution control board and state pollution control boards of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to guide and help the industries to identify the locations where these monitoring stations could be set up.

The report says, “…the levels of mercury in ambient and ground and surface water are reported to be one of the major problems in Singrauli area.

“Therefore, it is essential that at least three continuous …systems for mercury monitoring in the …air and surface and ground water should be installed at suitable locations in the Singrauli area by the industries on a ‘polluter pays principle’”.

The committee has also pointed out that the existing network of monitoring system air quality in both the districts — Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh — needs to be strengthened and expanded to get the representative air quality status of Singrauli area.

The committee’s final report was submitted to the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal in Delhi on Monday during a hearing of a case filed by advocate Ashwani Dubey.

Rihand Dam built on the Rihand River— a tributary of the Son River — is located in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. Its reservoir — Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar (Rihand) — spread over 466sqkm in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking to HT over phone, Dubey said that the setting up the labs for continuous monitoring of would give authorities a clear idea about the extent of the mercury pollution in the Singrauli region.

“Such data will help authorities to lessen the mercury pollution in the area. A long term study is required to learn how high levels of mercury have affected the health of residents and to what extent,” he said.

Matter of concern

Places in and around Singrauli area where high concentration of mercury was found in groundwater samples that were collected

Jatipur

Jayant Colony

Khairahi

Kusmaha

Govindpur

MPCC Colony

Parsavar-Raja

Sirsoti, Dibulganj

Kirwani

Parasi

Harrahwa

Naktu

Chilkadand

Read:Report lists damage to Rihand reservoir

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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