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Who is damaging river Hindon? Authorities, agencies blame one another
NOIDA: That illegal constructions have eaten into the floodplains of river Hindon, especially in Gatuam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad, is a fact that all civic agencies
NOIDA: That illegal constructions have eaten into the floodplains of river Hindon, especially in Gatuam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad, is a fact that all civic agencies will admit to, but not one of them is ready to shoulder the blame for allowing the illegal constructions to thrive for the past many years.
The Noida authority, the irrigation department and the power distribution company Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) are busy passing the buck when it comes to the damage done to ecology by these unauthorised constructions.
In a fresh development, the Noida authority has written to PVVNL and the UP Irrigation department asking them to curb the mushrooming of unauthorised construction on the Hindon floodplains.
“We have asked the irrigation department to take effective steps so that unauthorised constructions come to a halt on the floodplains. The irrigation department should do its part to ensure that no new unauthorised construction takes place. We have asked the PVVNL to stop giving electricity connections to houses built on the floodplain. We are conducting regular inspections to ensure that no new illegal construction comes up,” Santosh Upadhyay, officer on special duty, Noida authority, said.
Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) said it is not giving electricity connections to floodplain houses.
“We are not giving new electricity connections to houses on the floodplain area. The connections in existence are old are ones and were sanctioned in the past,” VN Singh, chief engineer, PVVNL, said.
The Hindon originates from Pur Ka Tanda village in Saharanpur and confluences with the Yamuna near Momnathal in Sector 151, Noida. Around 17km of the river passes through Noida and Greater Noida and its floodplains are sold as residential land by the land mafia. The mushrooming of unauthorised housing facilities is posing a threat to groundwater table, besides polluting the river, Noida authority officials said.
The Uttar Pradesh solid waste management monitoring committee chairman, in June 2019, had directed the the district forest and irrigation departments of Gautam Budh Nagar to develop dense forests on the floodplains in order to protect the dying river.
On June 13, 2019, a team comprising committee officials, along with the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) staff and officials from the Noida and Greater Noida authorities, inspected the Hindon to check the status of pollution. The committee was upset over the condition of the Hindon. In its report to the state government, the committee pressed for further action on the rising pollution in the river. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, during his visit to Greater Noida on June 14, 2019, also expressed his concern over the Hindon pollution and directed officials to protect the floodplain from encroachment.
“But the illegal construction is not being stopped. If the floodplain is not protected, the river will die and the groundwater will become polluted. The illegal construction is unregulated because different government bodies pass the buck and do not bother to take strict action against polluters,” Gaurav Bansal, an environmental lawyer, said.
The UP irrigation department officials said they are taking effective steps to check illegal construction.
“We are taking adequate measures to ensure that no new illegal construction takes place. We also have asked the PVVNL department not to give power connections to houses on floodplains. There are illegal constructions done in the past. But we have not allowed new ones,” Davendra Thakur, executive engineer, UP irrigation department, said.
