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Chandigarh: Monitoring station on seasonal rivulet N-choe to be installed by November 20
The UT engineering department will live-track the pollution levels in the seasonal rivulet from the monitoring station, which will be set up near the Garden of Silence in Sector 42 for ₹19 lakh
For real-time monitoring of pollution levels in the N-choe, the UT administration will be installing a water monitoring station on the seasonal rivulet by November 20.
The UT engineering department will live-track the pollution levels in the seasonal rivulet from the monitoring station, which will be set up near the Garden of Silence in Sector 42 for ₹19 lakh.
A UT official said the development comes on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had ordered the setting up of monitoring stations on the N-choe and Sukhna choe for real-time assessment of pollution levels in them. Both the rivulets merge in the Ghaggar river near Zirakpur adding to its pollution.
Tenders for the project were floated in September. “The agency will also be accountable for the maintenance of the equipment to be installed at the site,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the location for setting up of the monitoring station on the Sukhna choe is yet to be decided. “Proper space and infrastructure, and basic amenities like electricity are not available near the Sukhna choe. However, possibilities are being explored,” said the official.
A joint team of the engineering department and the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) will inspect areas around the Sukhna choe this week to finalise the location within this month, the official added.
Station to keep tab on effluent discharge
Even though the administration and the municipal corporation claim to have closed all but three sewage outlets discharging effluents in the choe, the monitoring stations will keep a tab if any such effluent is discharged.
In a report submitted with the NGT on November 2, the CPCC had highlighted six locations where sewage was still being discharged in the two rivulets, with four points in Sukhna choe and two in N-choe.
“The department concerned will get live updates if the pollution levels increase over the permissible levels. The entire process will be monitored online,” the official said.
The system will monitor the pH value, the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water. “The station will be installed on the choe near the Mohali border, because when water enters there from Chandigarh, it will be to ensure that water is not contaminated from Chandigarh,” said the official.
The N-choe passes through several gardens in the city, and is flooded during the rainy season. It enters Kajehri, Mohali, after passing through the Leisure Valley. The UT official said the people will not have to face foul smell anymore.
