E-Paper
No let-up in Ganga pollution!
Highly polluted Ganga water in 2001 Maha Kumbh shook the faith of saints and seers. They cried foul, launched fast unto death agitation but were ultimately persuaded with loads of promises by the administration.
Highly polluted Ganga water in 2001 Maha Kumbh shook the faith of saints and seers. They cried foul, launched fast unto death agitation but were ultimately persuaded with loads of promises by the administration.
The then Commissioner, DM, IG, DIG and other senior officers promised that Ganga would be clean by the next annual Magh Mela. However,six years down the line much dirty water has flown in the river with no betterment.
Instead of improvement the quality of water has further deteriorated. The pollution level can be gauged by the observations of some scientists who expressed concern over the extinction of certain water species recently.
The issue of nearly 67 big and small drains in the city which were polluting the river round the clock had also come up. The local administration had promised to tap all the drains which were continuously churning several MLDs sewer water in the Ganga and Yamuna but six years later the situation is the same. What to talk of having pure water from other places which the river brings here, even the pollution in the city is yet to be tapped.
During the last Magh Mela thousands of saints led by Swami Hari Chaitanya of Teekarmafi and Shankaracharya of Jyotishpeeth vowed to continue their fight against the pollution of the rivers which are so sacred to millions of devouts. They held conclaves, issued statements and appealed to the general public to come out in the open to join their agitation but their efforts appear to be having no effect.
Rudely shaken with the non-cooperative attitude of the government and the administration the saints have now started roping in the support for their cause.
A few days ago they invited kin of former rulers.
Dr Sanjay Singh from Amethi sought peoples' support in the campaign without which nothing was possible. Pushpraj Singh from Rewa, Anant Kumar Singh from Vijaygarh and Abhay Pratap Singh from Pratapgarh expressed concern over the growing pollution in the Ganga with no checks.
Swami Hari Chaitanya was critical of release of untreated water from tanneries flowing constantly into the river.
]Now with only four months left for the Ardh Kumbh and failure of Ganga Pollution Board to set up a treatment plant in the Kachar belt it is feared that people congregating on this great occasion will again be compelled to bathe in the highly polluted water.
Meanwhile Swami Harichaitanya has demanded release of 2000 cusecs of water from Narora in the Ganga from January 3 to February 3- the duration of the mela. before that he has demanded release of 1000 cusecs of water from Narora.
On the issue of sewer and drain water flowing in the river he said, drains of all the cities situated on the bank of Ganga should be tapped and its water should be used for irrigation. He said, his movement for the cleansing of Ganga will not stop as long as the river water is not made pure.
