Monday, March 29, 2010
Clean Ganga to cost upwards of Rs 9,000 Crore (The Pioneer 18 March 2010)
Even that may not be enough
The Government may have spent Rs 782 crore during the last three years on cleaning up the Ganga, but the exercise to restore the revered river to its pristine glory remained a distant dream. The Planning Commission of India in its latest report to the Supreme Court has said that even achieving a 100 per cent sewage treatment plant utilisation would end up cleaning just one-third of the total waste generated in the Ganga basin.
The report titled, ‘Report on Utilisation of Funds and Assets Created through GAP in States under GAP’ was on Wednesday filed in the apex court, which is monitoring the Ganga Action Plan in its bid to ensure that the river is kept clean.
Commenting on the health of the river, the Commission said, “The goal of cleaning Ganga has not been fully achieved. The quality of the river water at some locations has marginally improved while in many other locations, the quality in terms of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) has, in fact, worsened. Quality in terms of faecal coliform (FC) count has been poor virtually all along the river downstream of Haridwar.”
Blaming the deterioration of the river on “faulty planning of capacities”, despite satisfactory utilisation of funds under GAP I and GAP II, the Commission noted, “Even if all the targeted capacities materialise and operate, the problem will still persist as the domestic sewage being generated is many times the STP (sewage treatment plant) capacity installed.”
It noted the gap between the demand for STPs and the supply in terms of existing STP capacity while putting a question mark on how GAP II could solve this imbalance between demand and supply. In figures, the report explained, “Domestic sewage generation in the Ganga basin is about 12,000 MLD (million litres per day) while STP capacity is 3750 MLD, just about 31 per cent of sewage generation.”
Projecting the work ahead under the Plan to clean the river by 2020, the report added, “The sewage generation in the whole of the Ganga basin is estimated at 15,000 MLD in 2020 from 12,000 MLD currently…An additional 8,250 MLD needs to be established even to meet the current backlog, whereas additional capacity of 11,250 MLD needs to be created by 2020.”
On the national scene too, the scenario is depressing, states the report.
With an estimated waste generation across the country (in Class I and II towns) of 36,000 MLD, all the STPs functioning across the country put together would only treat 7,000 MLD, in other words, over 29,000 MLD untreated sewage joining the rivers.
Commenting on the Ganga in particular, the report observed, “The BOD level keeps worsening as one goes downstream along the river from Rishikesh and is worst at Allahabad. It is only when other rivers join the Ganga and dilution takes place that BOD level improves.”
In the Eleventh Plan document, the report commented that average capacity utilisation of the existing STP capacity is only about 72 per cent against the desired 100 per cent. Citing reasons, the report recorded, “This is mostly due to factors like irregular power supply, absence of connections between domestic sewage drains and STPs, and failure of States to provide for maintenance costs of STPs.”
To achieve the intended target to cleanse the Ganga, the report concluded that for meeting the projected requirement for 2020, “the resources required would vary from Rs 2,812 crore to Rs 9,788 crore”. This could be provided for under the Jawharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, the Commission recommended to the MoEF.
The Government may have spent Rs 782 crore during the last three years on cleaning up the Ganga, but the exercise to restore the revered river to its pristine glory remained a distant dream. The Planning Commission of India in its latest report to the Supreme Court has said that even achieving a 100 per cent sewage treatment plant utilisation would end up cleaning just one-third of the total waste generated in the Ganga basin.
The report titled, ‘Report on Utilisation of Funds and Assets Created through GAP in States under GAP’ was on Wednesday filed in the apex court, which is monitoring the Ganga Action Plan in its bid to ensure that the river is kept clean.
Commenting on the health of the river, the Commission said, “The goal of cleaning Ganga has not been fully achieved. The quality of the river water at some locations has marginally improved while in many other locations, the quality in terms of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) has, in fact, worsened. Quality in terms of faecal coliform (FC) count has been poor virtually all along the river downstream of Haridwar.”
Blaming the deterioration of the river on “faulty planning of capacities”, despite satisfactory utilisation of funds under GAP I and GAP II, the Commission noted, “Even if all the targeted capacities materialise and operate, the problem will still persist as the domestic sewage being generated is many times the STP (sewage treatment plant) capacity installed.”
It noted the gap between the demand for STPs and the supply in terms of existing STP capacity while putting a question mark on how GAP II could solve this imbalance between demand and supply. In figures, the report explained, “Domestic sewage generation in the Ganga basin is about 12,000 MLD (million litres per day) while STP capacity is 3750 MLD, just about 31 per cent of sewage generation.”
Projecting the work ahead under the Plan to clean the river by 2020, the report added, “The sewage generation in the whole of the Ganga basin is estimated at 15,000 MLD in 2020 from 12,000 MLD currently…An additional 8,250 MLD needs to be established even to meet the current backlog, whereas additional capacity of 11,250 MLD needs to be created by 2020.”
On the national scene too, the scenario is depressing, states the report.
With an estimated waste generation across the country (in Class I and II towns) of 36,000 MLD, all the STPs functioning across the country put together would only treat 7,000 MLD, in other words, over 29,000 MLD untreated sewage joining the rivers.
Commenting on the Ganga in particular, the report observed, “The BOD level keeps worsening as one goes downstream along the river from Rishikesh and is worst at Allahabad. It is only when other rivers join the Ganga and dilution takes place that BOD level improves.”
In the Eleventh Plan document, the report commented that average capacity utilisation of the existing STP capacity is only about 72 per cent against the desired 100 per cent. Citing reasons, the report recorded, “This is mostly due to factors like irregular power supply, absence of connections between domestic sewage drains and STPs, and failure of States to provide for maintenance costs of STPs.”
To achieve the intended target to cleanse the Ganga, the report concluded that for meeting the projected requirement for 2020, “the resources required would vary from Rs 2,812 crore to Rs 9,788 crore”. This could be provided for under the Jawharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, the Commission recommended to the MoEF.
Brakes on new Industries in NCR Choked Environment Ministry bans new units fill pollution control plan is chalked out (Hindustan Times 18 March 2010)
The Environment ministry has slapped a ban on setting up any new industry in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Noida till an environment impact assessment of the exist- ing industries is done.
The four have been declared the 11th, 3rd, 18th and 12th most- polluted cities in the country, respectively.
“No new industries can be opened in these areas till the respective governments pre- pare a plan to manage pollution emanating from these zones,“ said a ministry official.
The ban is part of the nation- al moratorium imposed by Environment and Forest min- ister Jairam Ramesh on 88 most-polluted industrial clus- ters, having a large number of small scale industries.
The ban would be lifted in August, if the state govern- ments submit plans to manage pollution in these industrial clus- ters, the official added.
Ghaziabad stood third most- polluted industrial zone in the country, courtesy its poor man- agement of air and water pol- lution in industrial zones such as Mohan Nagar, Rajinder Nagar, Sahibabad, Pandav Nagar, Bulandhshahar Road and Amrit Nagar.
Based on comprehensive environmental pollution index of the Central Pollution Control Board, the ministry has cate- gorized industrial areas of Anand Parvat, Nariana, Okhla and Wazirpur in Delhi as the 11th most polluted.
For Noida, which is 12th most polluted, no new industries would be allowed in its phase- I, II and III, Greater Noida Industrial Area, Surajpur Industrial and Chhaparaula.
At 18th rank, Faridabad will see a freeze on new industries in Sector 27, DLF phase-I and II, Hatin industrial area and industrial Model Township.
Last year the ministry had asked the Central Pollution Control Board and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, to conduct a study of pollution from industries to identify critically polluted zones.
Pollution caused to water, air and noise was considered in the evaluation.
Ankleshwar and Vapi, both in Gujarat, were rated as first and second most polluted industrial clusters in India. The union minister had visited some of these areas to find the sta- tus of pollution management.
“Entire affluent system in Ankleshwar and Vapi had failed to tackle the load of the chem- icals released,“ Ramesh had said. The ministry considers the ban as a way to make industri- al bodies more responsive to combating pollution.
The four have been declared the 11th, 3rd, 18th and 12th most- polluted cities in the country, respectively.
“No new industries can be opened in these areas till the respective governments pre- pare a plan to manage pollution emanating from these zones,“ said a ministry official.
The ban is part of the nation- al moratorium imposed by Environment and Forest min- ister Jairam Ramesh on 88 most-polluted industrial clus- ters, having a large number of small scale industries.
The ban would be lifted in August, if the state govern- ments submit plans to manage pollution in these industrial clus- ters, the official added.
Ghaziabad stood third most- polluted industrial zone in the country, courtesy its poor man- agement of air and water pol- lution in industrial zones such as Mohan Nagar, Rajinder Nagar, Sahibabad, Pandav Nagar, Bulandhshahar Road and Amrit Nagar.
Based on comprehensive environmental pollution index of the Central Pollution Control Board, the ministry has cate- gorized industrial areas of Anand Parvat, Nariana, Okhla and Wazirpur in Delhi as the 11th most polluted.
For Noida, which is 12th most polluted, no new industries would be allowed in its phase- I, II and III, Greater Noida Industrial Area, Surajpur Industrial and Chhaparaula.
At 18th rank, Faridabad will see a freeze on new industries in Sector 27, DLF phase-I and II, Hatin industrial area and industrial Model Township.
Last year the ministry had asked the Central Pollution Control Board and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, to conduct a study of pollution from industries to identify critically polluted zones.
Pollution caused to water, air and noise was considered in the evaluation.
Ankleshwar and Vapi, both in Gujarat, were rated as first and second most polluted industrial clusters in India. The union minister had visited some of these areas to find the sta- tus of pollution management.
“Entire affluent system in Ankleshwar and Vapi had failed to tackle the load of the chem- icals released,“ Ramesh had said. The ministry considers the ban as a way to make industri- al bodies more responsive to combating pollution.
Mining mafia fires during surprise check (Times of India 18 March 2010)
Greater Noida: Officials of the special mining squad, including a sub-divisional magistrate and a deputy superintendent of police, had a narrow escape when the mining mafia opened fire at them during a surprise check in Maujabad area of Greater Noida. However, no one was injured as they managed to flee.
Police immediately sprung into action and arrested 12 accused from Mungabad area in Greater Noida. However, two of their accomplices are still on the run and police hope to nab them soon. ‘‘The accused are members of Naresh Bhati gang. We have recovered one JCB, four dumpers and other machinery and a Ford Fiesta from Kasna area,’’ said S K Verma, SP (rural Noida).
‘‘When I along with DSP Shailendra Lal reached the area on a surprise check we were fired upon,’’ claimed Vishal Singh, SDM of the area.
‘‘In March, illegal mining of sand from the Yamuna takes place in the area. This is the first time that we decided to track the mafia in Greater Noida. Hence, a special team was formed to check the mining mafia,’’ said Verma.
According to Greater Noida authority, there are a number of mining gangs active in the area. ‘‘March is the season when organized mining is stopped in Greater Noida. This is when illegal mining takes place on the Yamuna bed for its sand,’’ said an official. He added that all these groups owe allegiance to bigger gangs operating from Faridabad. ‘‘The Greater Noida route is used by gangs to transport sand to other parts of UP and NCR,’’ added the officer.
Police immediately sprung into action and arrested 12 accused from Mungabad area in Greater Noida. However, two of their accomplices are still on the run and police hope to nab them soon. ‘‘The accused are members of Naresh Bhati gang. We have recovered one JCB, four dumpers and other machinery and a Ford Fiesta from Kasna area,’’ said S K Verma, SP (rural Noida).
‘‘When I along with DSP Shailendra Lal reached the area on a surprise check we were fired upon,’’ claimed Vishal Singh, SDM of the area.
‘‘In March, illegal mining of sand from the Yamuna takes place in the area. This is the first time that we decided to track the mafia in Greater Noida. Hence, a special team was formed to check the mining mafia,’’ said Verma.
According to Greater Noida authority, there are a number of mining gangs active in the area. ‘‘March is the season when organized mining is stopped in Greater Noida. This is when illegal mining takes place on the Yamuna bed for its sand,’’ said an official. He added that all these groups owe allegiance to bigger gangs operating from Faridabad. ‘‘The Greater Noida route is used by gangs to transport sand to other parts of UP and NCR,’’ added the officer.
Where are the jamun trees on the jumna? IndiaMART revives the tale (Economic Times 21 March 2010)
IndiaMART .com appears to indulge heavily into corporate social responsibilities . It boasts to support the 'Meri Delhi Meri Yamuna' (MDMY)
initiative the largest public initiative to clean up the Yamuna and restore it to its past glory, before the Commonwealth Games. MDMY started as an initiative of The Art of Living, but it's now a full blown citizen's action plan. Dozens of NGOs and companies have already joined as partners.
Yamuna is immensely important for the economic, ecological and basic needs of the region and its people. Sadly, over the years, it has become one of the most endangered waterways in India. More than half of 3.6 billion tonnes of sewerage produced in Delhi everyday flows into Yamuna untreated . And we are dependent on Yamuna for more than 60 per cent of the water needed by the Delhi region.
Numerous attempts have been made but with little success, and doubt still persists about what will happen in future. The Centre for Science and Environment, which regularly monitors the quality of Yamuna water, maintains that between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of the river's pollution is the result of raw untreated sewage. Yamuna's frothy brew has become so glaring that it can be viewed on Google Earth.
Dinesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of IndiaMART.com expressing his views on this significant initiative said: "Almost all great cities and civilizations across the world are nestled around great rivers be it Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, New York or London. Delhi citizens too have a great river, but sadly we have stopped caring for it. It's time we show our pride in this national treasure before we loose it forever. We at IndiaMART.com are proud to play our part with the best of our abilities to help clean Yamuna, but a sustained support for a longer period of time will be required from every quarter, before we realize this dream."
The MDMY's other CSR partners include, Times of India, Star News, Phillips, SBI, Bajaj Allianz, Indraprastha Gas Limited, The UNESCO, World Bank, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) have pledged their support for this hugely ambitious initiative . IndiaMART.com on its part is promoting the initiative across its network, and its management and employees are taking part in this clean-up drive as well.
The MDMY citizen initiative was formally launched on March 16, 2010, in Delhi by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, where the citizens and leaders from all walks of life were present to mark the occasion. A massive cleaning drive was also undertaken on March 14, 2010, on the Yamuna bank, which will be followed a series of such steps.
The aim of MDMY is "Sparkling Yamuna Shining Delhi" . Surely, the revival of Yamuna will mean a protection of our heritage and the currently endangered biodiversity of the eco-system , and will also be a huge contributor for tourism, a healthier and sustainable urban environment and a restoration of critical water resource.
initiative the largest public initiative to clean up the Yamuna and restore it to its past glory, before the Commonwealth Games. MDMY started as an initiative of The Art of Living, but it's now a full blown citizen's action plan. Dozens of NGOs and companies have already joined as partners.
Yamuna is immensely important for the economic, ecological and basic needs of the region and its people. Sadly, over the years, it has become one of the most endangered waterways in India. More than half of 3.6 billion tonnes of sewerage produced in Delhi everyday flows into Yamuna untreated . And we are dependent on Yamuna for more than 60 per cent of the water needed by the Delhi region.
Numerous attempts have been made but with little success, and doubt still persists about what will happen in future. The Centre for Science and Environment, which regularly monitors the quality of Yamuna water, maintains that between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of the river's pollution is the result of raw untreated sewage. Yamuna's frothy brew has become so glaring that it can be viewed on Google Earth.
Dinesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of IndiaMART.com expressing his views on this significant initiative said: "Almost all great cities and civilizations across the world are nestled around great rivers be it Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, New York or London. Delhi citizens too have a great river, but sadly we have stopped caring for it. It's time we show our pride in this national treasure before we loose it forever. We at IndiaMART.com are proud to play our part with the best of our abilities to help clean Yamuna, but a sustained support for a longer period of time will be required from every quarter, before we realize this dream."
The MDMY's other CSR partners include, Times of India, Star News, Phillips, SBI, Bajaj Allianz, Indraprastha Gas Limited, The UNESCO, World Bank, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) have pledged their support for this hugely ambitious initiative . IndiaMART.com on its part is promoting the initiative across its network, and its management and employees are taking part in this clean-up drive as well.
The MDMY citizen initiative was formally launched on March 16, 2010, in Delhi by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, where the citizens and leaders from all walks of life were present to mark the occasion. A massive cleaning drive was also undertaken on March 14, 2010, on the Yamuna bank, which will be followed a series of such steps.
The aim of MDMY is "Sparkling Yamuna Shining Delhi" . Surely, the revival of Yamuna will mean a protection of our heritage and the currently endangered biodiversity of the eco-system , and will also be a huge contributor for tourism, a healthier and sustainable urban environment and a restoration of critical water resource.
Reduce water demand & wastage to revive river (Times of India 21 March 2010)
What should and can be done to clean the Yamuna? What is the strategy for business-unusual so that we can spend more money but this time get returns of a living and breathing river.
One, we need to change the art of pollution control. First, we must understand that rivers need water to assimilate our waste. Today, Delhi takes water from the river, upstream of Wazirabad, and returns only sewage to it. Between the two barrages — Wazirabad, when the river enters Delhi till Okhla, where it exits Delhi — there is no water. There are only some 17 drains that bring sewage into the river.
Even if we were to treat every drop of waste before it reaches the river, it will do nothing. The river must have water to dilute waste. And to live.
There are two ways for Delhi to get water in the river. One, it can demand that Haryana should give it more water. But this will be difficult. All cities, up or downstream, do what Delhi does. They take every drop of water the river has and give it only their waste. All cities are desperate for water.
The second option is that Delhi can begin to reduce its own water demand, so that it can allow water to flow in the river. This can be done. Delhi, today has the highest water availability in the country — already over 250 litres per person per day. The richest cities of the world, like those in Denmark, have roughly 110 litres per person per day.
Delhi needs so much water because it wastes half the water in distribution. This must be stopped or at least minimized. But importantly, money for river cleaning must incorporate this target — how much will Delhi do to reduce water use. Water is part of the sums of waste.
This also means we have to use less water in our homes, so that we discharge less waste. We have to be part of the solution to the river. Remember our flush is enjoined to the Yamuna.
Then we must change the science of river cleaning. We know the river will not be clean till we treat all the sewage of the city. And the only way we can treat the sewage is by making solutions more affordable. In the current situation, Delhi government does not even recover the cost of water supply, forget sewage disposal. We must demand technologies that we all can pay for. This will drive the change in approach.
The second agenda is to fully utilize the capacity of our sewage treatment plants. Delhi has capacity to clean 2330 million litres of sewage each day —enough to treat 70-90% of current waste, depending on the estimate you take. This will mean bringing waste to the plants, by lifting it from open drains, not just waiting to build new ones or building and repairing more drains. The hardware approach needs to go.
The third agenda is connected and critical. The treated effluent must not be put back into the same open drain, which carries the untreated waste of the majority. It must be reused and recycled, as far as possible locally so that costs of pumping are reduced.
Today, we spend huge money in first pumping sewage long distances for treatment and then waste this effort by dumping the cleaned water in unclean drains. In other words, sewage must be reused in gardens, in lakes or in industry. Sewage treatment plants must be built only when they have planned for reuse.
Just consider. Today, sewage is treated at the Yamuna Vihar plant in east Delhi and disposed of in the drain carrying untreated waste outside the plant. Then the same waste is treated further down in the Kondli treatment plant. Cleaned effluent is then dumped in a drain, which flows past the new growth colonies of Noida with huge discharge. By the time it reaches the river, there is sewage, no water. Get serious, for heaven’s sake.
Fourth, we must treat sewage directly in the open drains that criss-cross the city. Instead of waiting for every open stormwater drain to go underground and disappear, the system will ensure all waste is treated and cleaned as it flows through the city. This would mean using innovative technologies for bio-remediation green plants and oxidation to decompose and degrade sewage. Get real.
Fifth, we should build sewage treatment plants as close to the bank of the river to treat what remains in the drains. This will need technologies, which need less land to treat sewage. The design is not to discharge anything but treated effluent in Yamuna.
All this will require our involvement. We must demand an effective action plan for cleaning our river. Never forget, we all live downstream.
Agenda For Clean-Up
The river must have water to dilute waste
Delhi can demand water from Haryana, reduce its own water demand (availability 250 litres per person daily, highest in country)
Delhi must stop/ minimize wasting half its water in distribution
Delhiites must use less water at home, so that they discharge less waste
Change science of river cleaning by making solutions more affordable. Must demand technologies that we all can pay for Fully utilize capacity of sewage treatment plants. Need to lift sewage from open drains instead of building more infrastructure
Treated effluents must not be put back into open drain which carries untreated waste of majority. It must be reused and recycled as far as possible locally
Treat sewage directly in open drains with innovative technologies
Should build sewage treatment plants close to the bank of the river to treat what remains in the drains
One, we need to change the art of pollution control. First, we must understand that rivers need water to assimilate our waste. Today, Delhi takes water from the river, upstream of Wazirabad, and returns only sewage to it. Between the two barrages — Wazirabad, when the river enters Delhi till Okhla, where it exits Delhi — there is no water. There are only some 17 drains that bring sewage into the river.
Even if we were to treat every drop of waste before it reaches the river, it will do nothing. The river must have water to dilute waste. And to live.
There are two ways for Delhi to get water in the river. One, it can demand that Haryana should give it more water. But this will be difficult. All cities, up or downstream, do what Delhi does. They take every drop of water the river has and give it only their waste. All cities are desperate for water.
The second option is that Delhi can begin to reduce its own water demand, so that it can allow water to flow in the river. This can be done. Delhi, today has the highest water availability in the country — already over 250 litres per person per day. The richest cities of the world, like those in Denmark, have roughly 110 litres per person per day.
Delhi needs so much water because it wastes half the water in distribution. This must be stopped or at least minimized. But importantly, money for river cleaning must incorporate this target — how much will Delhi do to reduce water use. Water is part of the sums of waste.
This also means we have to use less water in our homes, so that we discharge less waste. We have to be part of the solution to the river. Remember our flush is enjoined to the Yamuna.
Then we must change the science of river cleaning. We know the river will not be clean till we treat all the sewage of the city. And the only way we can treat the sewage is by making solutions more affordable. In the current situation, Delhi government does not even recover the cost of water supply, forget sewage disposal. We must demand technologies that we all can pay for. This will drive the change in approach.
The second agenda is to fully utilize the capacity of our sewage treatment plants. Delhi has capacity to clean 2330 million litres of sewage each day —enough to treat 70-90% of current waste, depending on the estimate you take. This will mean bringing waste to the plants, by lifting it from open drains, not just waiting to build new ones or building and repairing more drains. The hardware approach needs to go.
The third agenda is connected and critical. The treated effluent must not be put back into the same open drain, which carries the untreated waste of the majority. It must be reused and recycled, as far as possible locally so that costs of pumping are reduced.
Today, we spend huge money in first pumping sewage long distances for treatment and then waste this effort by dumping the cleaned water in unclean drains. In other words, sewage must be reused in gardens, in lakes or in industry. Sewage treatment plants must be built only when they have planned for reuse.
Just consider. Today, sewage is treated at the Yamuna Vihar plant in east Delhi and disposed of in the drain carrying untreated waste outside the plant. Then the same waste is treated further down in the Kondli treatment plant. Cleaned effluent is then dumped in a drain, which flows past the new growth colonies of Noida with huge discharge. By the time it reaches the river, there is sewage, no water. Get serious, for heaven’s sake.
Fourth, we must treat sewage directly in the open drains that criss-cross the city. Instead of waiting for every open stormwater drain to go underground and disappear, the system will ensure all waste is treated and cleaned as it flows through the city. This would mean using innovative technologies for bio-remediation green plants and oxidation to decompose and degrade sewage. Get real.
Fifth, we should build sewage treatment plants as close to the bank of the river to treat what remains in the drains. This will need technologies, which need less land to treat sewage. The design is not to discharge anything but treated effluent in Yamuna.
All this will require our involvement. We must demand an effective action plan for cleaning our river. Never forget, we all live downstream.
Agenda For Clean-Up
The river must have water to dilute waste
Delhi can demand water from Haryana, reduce its own water demand (availability 250 litres per person daily, highest in country)
Delhi must stop/ minimize wasting half its water in distribution
Delhiites must use less water at home, so that they discharge less waste
Change science of river cleaning by making solutions more affordable. Must demand technologies that we all can pay for Fully utilize capacity of sewage treatment plants. Need to lift sewage from open drains instead of building more infrastructure
Treated effluents must not be put back into open drain which carries untreated waste of majority. It must be reused and recycled as far as possible locally
Treat sewage directly in open drains with innovative technologies
Should build sewage treatment plants close to the bank of the river to treat what remains in the drains
No zone: Plans to build on Yamuna banks scuttled (Times of India 18 March 2010)
NEW DELHI: Finally, some relief seems to be coming the way of the gasping Yamuna. The Union urban development ministry has approved the DDA's plan for the river — better known as 'O' Zone plan. Within a month, the DDA is expected to notify it, thus banning any new permanent structures on the river's flood plains.
With this, a lingering, and often acrimonious, debate on the use of Yamuna's dry bed will come to an end. It will also bring to an end plans to build stadiums, cultural centres, and various other commercial buildings on the river's sprawling floodplains. And finally, this will bring down the curtains on the proposal to build concrete embankments along the Yamuna's banks.
The 'O' Zone plan was approved by the urban development ministry on March 8. Sources in DDA confirmed that the approval has been received and now the necessary work was being done to notify it, so that it becomes part of the Delhi Master Plan.
Encroachments on the flood plains have been rampant. But these were mostly jhuggi-jhopris that could be evicted. The balance tilted in favour of encroachers when the Akshardham temple was allowed to come up on the flood plains, initially without approval. Taking that as a precedent, the Commonwealth Games Village was constructed.
Four years ago, DDA came up with a draft zonal plan for the Yamuna. And it stunned ecologists by proposing stadia, residential and commercial buildings as well as recreational areas like museums on the river bed.
New plan focuses on groundwater recharge
In the face of protests after DDA's draft zonal plan proposed stadia, residential and commercial buildings as well as recreational areas like museums on the river bed, on the river bed, the Authority had to finally prepare a zonal plan that's tempered and aimed at maintaining the eco-system of the river.
The new zonal plan contains measures to augment water supply, curb pollution and ensure land utilisation that will allow the use of the floodplains for groundwater recharge. The earlier 2006 plan had proposed land use of 175 hectares for sports facilities south of NH-24, a cultural complex south of Vikas Marg, and another 54 hectares north of the Vikas Marg for building structures for recreational use.
All this will now go. Instead, these areas will be used for making walk-ways, parks, and some temporary structures for recreational activities and "greening activities", which means tree plantation, bio-diversity parks and so on. Another large chunk of land measuring about 325 hectares south of the proposed Signature Bridge at Wazirabad has also been earmarked for similar purposes.
The 'O' Zone includes the river, water bodies and the floodplains. According to DDA officials, less than 1% of the zone area will now be under commercial use, which includes the existing Information Technology Park spread over 6 hectares, a bottling plant on 28 hectares at Madanpur Khadar and the site for Akshardham Temple and the Commonwealth Games Village.
The congested Yamuna Bazaar area, south of Nigambodh Ghat, where there were plans to first build a hospital and later to make godowns for LPG cylinders, is now likely to be redeveloped in tune with the larger 'O' Zone philosophy, said sources.
Also, the pontoon bridge will now be converted into a 30-metre road, while the Signature Bridge will come up to connect NH-2 with the Marginal Bund road south of Wazirabad road.
With this, a lingering, and often acrimonious, debate on the use of Yamuna's dry bed will come to an end. It will also bring to an end plans to build stadiums, cultural centres, and various other commercial buildings on the river's sprawling floodplains. And finally, this will bring down the curtains on the proposal to build concrete embankments along the Yamuna's banks.
The 'O' Zone plan was approved by the urban development ministry on March 8. Sources in DDA confirmed that the approval has been received and now the necessary work was being done to notify it, so that it becomes part of the Delhi Master Plan.
Encroachments on the flood plains have been rampant. But these were mostly jhuggi-jhopris that could be evicted. The balance tilted in favour of encroachers when the Akshardham temple was allowed to come up on the flood plains, initially without approval. Taking that as a precedent, the Commonwealth Games Village was constructed.
Four years ago, DDA came up with a draft zonal plan for the Yamuna. And it stunned ecologists by proposing stadia, residential and commercial buildings as well as recreational areas like museums on the river bed.
New plan focuses on groundwater recharge
In the face of protests after DDA's draft zonal plan proposed stadia, residential and commercial buildings as well as recreational areas like museums on the river bed, on the river bed, the Authority had to finally prepare a zonal plan that's tempered and aimed at maintaining the eco-system of the river.
The new zonal plan contains measures to augment water supply, curb pollution and ensure land utilisation that will allow the use of the floodplains for groundwater recharge. The earlier 2006 plan had proposed land use of 175 hectares for sports facilities south of NH-24, a cultural complex south of Vikas Marg, and another 54 hectares north of the Vikas Marg for building structures for recreational use.
All this will now go. Instead, these areas will be used for making walk-ways, parks, and some temporary structures for recreational activities and "greening activities", which means tree plantation, bio-diversity parks and so on. Another large chunk of land measuring about 325 hectares south of the proposed Signature Bridge at Wazirabad has also been earmarked for similar purposes.
The 'O' Zone includes the river, water bodies and the floodplains. According to DDA officials, less than 1% of the zone area will now be under commercial use, which includes the existing Information Technology Park spread over 6 hectares, a bottling plant on 28 hectares at Madanpur Khadar and the site for Akshardham Temple and the Commonwealth Games Village.
The congested Yamuna Bazaar area, south of Nigambodh Ghat, where there were plans to first build a hospital and later to make godowns for LPG cylinders, is now likely to be redeveloped in tune with the larger 'O' Zone philosophy, said sources.
Also, the pontoon bridge will now be converted into a 30-metre road, while the Signature Bridge will come up to connect NH-2 with the Marginal Bund road south of Wazirabad road.
Mining mafia builds a sandy grave (Times of India 17 March 2010)
Just 22km upstream from the Okhla barrage, the Yamuna is a different river. Upstream of Wazirabad in the north, it is a big, healthy river in which fish swim and to which birds come for water. Over the next 22km, it gets reduced to a giant sewer because of a number of reasons, the biggest being the city puking out tones of its refuse into the river.
We, however, look at a different aspect here — an aspect often overlooked in endless (and often insincere) debates on saving the Yamuna. It is pillage of the river sands, often so rapacious that the deep channels caused by mechanized illegal mining are leading to the Yamuna changing its course at certain places. If the process goes unchecked, the river might shift eastwards, triggering a disaster.
Just before the river reaches Wazirabad, at Palla village, where mining is rampant, the river has shifted, inundating land that was earlier being used for farming. This is well known and acknowledged by authorities on both side of the river, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. But neither take action under the garb of jurisdiction issues.
Activists say it’s not just petty matters of jurisdiction, but the fact that illegal sand mining is today a multi-crore business that has led to official inaction. The sand mafia carts away truckloads of sand daily that are sold to the construction companies. And it all happens in front of everyone’s eyes.
Huge machines are stationed at the edge of the river to dig out sand not only from the banks but also from within the river. In the Palla area, a temporary bank was recently created in the middle of the Yamuna to trap sand, effectively shifting its flow more towards the Delhi border and creating a small sand island in the middle of the river.
Why the officials still don’t act, and why no one at the top does not step up to settle disputes of jurisdiction, if any, is a mystery. Just how ridiculous the situation is can be gauged from the fact that on a day when a bunch of miners were finally caught, it took more than seven hours to figure out whether they were to be booked by Delhi or UP.
Says Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, ‘‘Usage of machinery is causing a change in the natural topography. Deep digging and drilling leads to formation of ponds and when the river floods at any point of time, there is a danger of it changing its course. This can prove to be catastrophic for the city infrastructure as well.’’
ISLAND IN A RIVER? A mound of sand piles up in the middle of Yamuna river at Wazirabad
ORGANIZED PLUNDER: Sand mining being carried out at Alipur Village in Wazirabad
We, however, look at a different aspect here — an aspect often overlooked in endless (and often insincere) debates on saving the Yamuna. It is pillage of the river sands, often so rapacious that the deep channels caused by mechanized illegal mining are leading to the Yamuna changing its course at certain places. If the process goes unchecked, the river might shift eastwards, triggering a disaster.
Just before the river reaches Wazirabad, at Palla village, where mining is rampant, the river has shifted, inundating land that was earlier being used for farming. This is well known and acknowledged by authorities on both side of the river, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. But neither take action under the garb of jurisdiction issues.
Activists say it’s not just petty matters of jurisdiction, but the fact that illegal sand mining is today a multi-crore business that has led to official inaction. The sand mafia carts away truckloads of sand daily that are sold to the construction companies. And it all happens in front of everyone’s eyes.
Huge machines are stationed at the edge of the river to dig out sand not only from the banks but also from within the river. In the Palla area, a temporary bank was recently created in the middle of the Yamuna to trap sand, effectively shifting its flow more towards the Delhi border and creating a small sand island in the middle of the river.
Why the officials still don’t act, and why no one at the top does not step up to settle disputes of jurisdiction, if any, is a mystery. Just how ridiculous the situation is can be gauged from the fact that on a day when a bunch of miners were finally caught, it took more than seven hours to figure out whether they were to be booked by Delhi or UP.
Says Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, ‘‘Usage of machinery is causing a change in the natural topography. Deep digging and drilling leads to formation of ponds and when the river floods at any point of time, there is a danger of it changing its course. This can prove to be catastrophic for the city infrastructure as well.’’
ISLAND IN A RIVER? A mound of sand piles up in the middle of Yamuna river at Wazirabad
ORGANIZED PLUNDER: Sand mining being carried out at Alipur Village in Wazirabad
RIVER NEEDS SPACE TO BREATHE (Times of India 17 March 2010)
Building on the floodplains of the Yamuna deprives it of room to wax and wane with the seasons. That’s not just a problem for the river. It also means seriously disrupting the process of groundwater recharge that would otherwise happen naturally. Unfortunately, government agencies like the DDA have taken the lead in violating this space, reports Neha Lalchandani
Everyone, including every government agency, is committed to save the Yamuna. And yet, everything is being done to strangle the already gasping river. This schizoid behaviour is manifest in virtually every dealing of ours with the river. We take here just one aspect — how we are dealing with the Yamuna’s vast floodplains.
When you cross the bridge over the river and drive east towards Ghaziabad, you go past pleasing green fields. These are the floodplains that extend right along the river. When the rains are heavy during monsoons, much of the floodplains get inundated. Otherwise, it’s beautiful but also very tempting for real estate developers to grab a piece of it, build embankments, and create acres of prime property.
Guess who has done exactly that and shown the way to the real estate sector? It’s none other than the government. The DDA, for instance, helped the Akshardham Temple to come up without initial clearances, despite protests by civil society groups. A bandh was constructed to restrict the spill of the flooded river and ensure that the crores spent on the temple would not be washed away when the river flooded.
Later, using the bandh as a shield, the DDA went ahead and earmarked still more space
right behind the temple to build the Commonwealth Games Village. In other words, one act of callousness, committed perhaps in the name of faith, became the basis for another such act, which in turn could now lead to several such acts of callousness. And before we realize what’s happening, the floodplains would be gobbled up by land sharks.
Is protection of the Yamuna floodplains just a hobby horse of the ‘‘loony’’ green fringe? Is it at all necessary to have the verdant fields in the middle of the city when the space can be used up to build much-needed housing? Yes, according to experts, for the sake of the Yamuna. For the river, this is apparently a matter of life and death.
Unlike the Thames which has perennial flow, the Yamuna is a seasonal river. In summer months, it shrinks to a thin stream, but in the monsoons it can swell up into a broad, mighty river. The floodplains allows it to wax and wane; they allow the Yamuna breathing space which would taken away if both sides of the river is shored up by concrete banks as is the case with the Thames, and as has been proposed by the venerable Metro chief, E Sreedharan.
And it’s not just giving the river breathing space. The vast floodplains play a crucial role in allowing groundwater recharge. Apart from the Himalayan snow melt and rain water, rivers of the Gangetic plains, including the Yamuna, get replenished by groundwater flowing through aquifers. These moisten up the layer under the river bed — which is like a wet rolled towel — to impart it steady water flow and good health.
These aspects are being overlooked by government agencies and it would appear, wilfully. Manoj Misra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan says that in the three years that it took to finalize the site for the Commonwealth Games Village, several studies were conducted and almost all were initially against the project on the proposed riverbed site.
‘‘However, in a remarkable flip flop, the DDA managed to get the required go-ahead by even the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) which had initially expressed apprehension over the site. Certain other permissions, like those from the Central Ground Water Authority and the Yamuna Standing Committee, were never received. The Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), which had earlier said that no construction should be permitted on the river bed, in January 2008 went against its own report to say that the bandh created for the Akshardham Temple was sufficient to prevent flooding of the area,’’ said Misra.
Later on, DDA also classified the river bed as zone ‘‘O’’ in its Master Plan 2021, the objective of which was to augment water supply, contain pollution and have eco-friendly ‘‘green’’ development. However, with respected figures like E Sreedharan asking for the river to be channelled between two embankments like the Thames, the government’s resolve has weakened.
Experts say enough damage has already been done by the government’s uninformed approach towards the floodplains, and the time has come for a zero-tolerance policy towards encroachments on it. Experts are calling for the entire floodplain to be notified so that each successive government does not have the leverage to play around with the floodplain’s land use.
FLOUTING ALL NORMS: The riverbed has been witnessing frenetic activity with Commonwealth Games Village, besides other structures, coming up there
Everyone, including every government agency, is committed to save the Yamuna. And yet, everything is being done to strangle the already gasping river. This schizoid behaviour is manifest in virtually every dealing of ours with the river. We take here just one aspect — how we are dealing with the Yamuna’s vast floodplains.
When you cross the bridge over the river and drive east towards Ghaziabad, you go past pleasing green fields. These are the floodplains that extend right along the river. When the rains are heavy during monsoons, much of the floodplains get inundated. Otherwise, it’s beautiful but also very tempting for real estate developers to grab a piece of it, build embankments, and create acres of prime property.
Guess who has done exactly that and shown the way to the real estate sector? It’s none other than the government. The DDA, for instance, helped the Akshardham Temple to come up without initial clearances, despite protests by civil society groups. A bandh was constructed to restrict the spill of the flooded river and ensure that the crores spent on the temple would not be washed away when the river flooded.
Later, using the bandh as a shield, the DDA went ahead and earmarked still more space
right behind the temple to build the Commonwealth Games Village. In other words, one act of callousness, committed perhaps in the name of faith, became the basis for another such act, which in turn could now lead to several such acts of callousness. And before we realize what’s happening, the floodplains would be gobbled up by land sharks.
Is protection of the Yamuna floodplains just a hobby horse of the ‘‘loony’’ green fringe? Is it at all necessary to have the verdant fields in the middle of the city when the space can be used up to build much-needed housing? Yes, according to experts, for the sake of the Yamuna. For the river, this is apparently a matter of life and death.
Unlike the Thames which has perennial flow, the Yamuna is a seasonal river. In summer months, it shrinks to a thin stream, but in the monsoons it can swell up into a broad, mighty river. The floodplains allows it to wax and wane; they allow the Yamuna breathing space which would taken away if both sides of the river is shored up by concrete banks as is the case with the Thames, and as has been proposed by the venerable Metro chief, E Sreedharan.
And it’s not just giving the river breathing space. The vast floodplains play a crucial role in allowing groundwater recharge. Apart from the Himalayan snow melt and rain water, rivers of the Gangetic plains, including the Yamuna, get replenished by groundwater flowing through aquifers. These moisten up the layer under the river bed — which is like a wet rolled towel — to impart it steady water flow and good health.
These aspects are being overlooked by government agencies and it would appear, wilfully. Manoj Misra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan says that in the three years that it took to finalize the site for the Commonwealth Games Village, several studies were conducted and almost all were initially against the project on the proposed riverbed site.
‘‘However, in a remarkable flip flop, the DDA managed to get the required go-ahead by even the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) which had initially expressed apprehension over the site. Certain other permissions, like those from the Central Ground Water Authority and the Yamuna Standing Committee, were never received. The Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), which had earlier said that no construction should be permitted on the river bed, in January 2008 went against its own report to say that the bandh created for the Akshardham Temple was sufficient to prevent flooding of the area,’’ said Misra.
Later on, DDA also classified the river bed as zone ‘‘O’’ in its Master Plan 2021, the objective of which was to augment water supply, contain pollution and have eco-friendly ‘‘green’’ development. However, with respected figures like E Sreedharan asking for the river to be channelled between two embankments like the Thames, the government’s resolve has weakened.
Experts say enough damage has already been done by the government’s uninformed approach towards the floodplains, and the time has come for a zero-tolerance policy towards encroachments on it. Experts are calling for the entire floodplain to be notified so that each successive government does not have the leverage to play around with the floodplain’s land use.
FLOUTING ALL NORMS: The riverbed has been witnessing frenetic activity with Commonwealth Games Village, besides other structures, coming up there
Flood it with fresh water to give it life (Time of India 20 March 2010)
Yamuna can’t be clean if minimum stipulated flow is not maintained
Never mind the thousands of crores being sunk to clean up the Yamuna. Can it ever become a clean stream if it doesn’t get a steady supply of fresh water and instead gets drain-loads of sewage discharged into it?
It doesn’t require any special knowledge of waterways to answer the question. It’s, of course, NO. And yet hardly anyone is focusing on the fact that the Yamuna is starved of fresh water the moment it enters Delhi’s boundaries, upstream of Wazirabad.
At the Hathnikund Barrage, north of Wazirabad, the river water is diverted into two canals — the eastern Yamuna canal and the western Yamuna canal. The river here is literally sucked dry, its tiniest drop taken out for Delhi’s water requirement.
The next 22-km journey is a nightmare for the Yamuna with tonnes of human and industrial waste being dumped into it. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in an affidavit submitted to court in 1999, said: ‘‘Even if the sewage and industrial effluent presently under various stages of control under the GAP (Ganga action plan) and YAP (Yamuna action plan) are fully treated, the water quality objectives as defined under designated best use criteria of CPCB cannot be achieved in the absence of natural flow in the rivers.’’
The CPCB designated that a minimum flow of 10 cumecs or 864 million litres per day should be maintained in the river as ecological flow. However, this agreement between the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi was maintained only in its breach.
The river has an annual average flow of 12 billion kilolitres and three fourths of it flows during the monsoon. Delhi, which was allocated 724 million kilolitres water in 1994 by the Central Water Commission (CWC), believes that this water should be released to it equally through the year.
The Delhi Jal Board says that Haryana is not even releasing enough water for the city’s drinking needs and hence there is little chance that it would adhere to agreements on keeping the river clean.
‘‘About 95% of the river’s water goes for irrigation and agricultural use. Only 5% or so comes to cities. Most of the 724 million kilolitres of water allocated to us by CWC comes during the monsoon months of July-October. Between March and June, the heaviest months in terms of demand, we get only about 70 million kilolitre. This imbalance has been corrected very slightly by the SC in view of the uniformity of demand of urban areas across various seasons,’’ said Santosh Vaidya, additional CEO, DJB.
In 1996, the Supreme Court had ordered Haryana to ensure that the Wazirabad pond level be maintained at a minimum of 674.5 feet, irrespective of how much water the state released. That order of the apex court is frequently disregarded.
‘‘Haryana needs a lot of water for its irrigation purposes, especially during the summer months when its kharif crop is getting ready. At such times, there is often a tussle between the states on water. Very often the level of the Wazirabad pond drops and supply to several parts of Delhi has to be curtailed. It is not surprising that the Yamuna resembles a river only in the monsoon season when there is surplus water flowing through it,’’ said a senior DJB official.
This is also the reason why officials are pushing for a dam upstream so that the excess monsoon flows can be trapped and released slowly through the year. However, the environment implications of that suggestion are yet to be studied.
Environmentalists have long been asking states to take their responsibility seriously, especially as in a city like Delhi, where even after the interceptor sewage system is in place, all its sewage will not get treated. In its affidavit to the court, DJB had accepted even after the system, restoring the river to class-C bathing quality would be posssible only ‘‘if adequate quantity of fresh water is released by the Upper Yamuna River Board’’.
Says water activist Rajendra Singh: ‘‘The Yamuna is not a perennial river and needs to be allowed to revive itse lf. It can never be clean, despite what any government may do, unless there is fresh water in it to dilute the sewage that we release into it regularly.’’
Desired flow of fresh water in the Yamuna
864
million litres
per day Actual average flow
of water in the river
12
billion kilolitres
annually Delhi’s annual
allocation
724
million kilolitres
Average annual water
consumption in Delhi
225
litres
per capita Estimated Demand in 2021
6,272
million litres per day
DJB’s estimates
NOT A MIRAGE The river just before Wazirabad. Once it’s tapped for our water supply, it becomes a trickle
Never mind the thousands of crores being sunk to clean up the Yamuna. Can it ever become a clean stream if it doesn’t get a steady supply of fresh water and instead gets drain-loads of sewage discharged into it?
It doesn’t require any special knowledge of waterways to answer the question. It’s, of course, NO. And yet hardly anyone is focusing on the fact that the Yamuna is starved of fresh water the moment it enters Delhi’s boundaries, upstream of Wazirabad.
At the Hathnikund Barrage, north of Wazirabad, the river water is diverted into two canals — the eastern Yamuna canal and the western Yamuna canal. The river here is literally sucked dry, its tiniest drop taken out for Delhi’s water requirement.
The next 22-km journey is a nightmare for the Yamuna with tonnes of human and industrial waste being dumped into it. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in an affidavit submitted to court in 1999, said: ‘‘Even if the sewage and industrial effluent presently under various stages of control under the GAP (Ganga action plan) and YAP (Yamuna action plan) are fully treated, the water quality objectives as defined under designated best use criteria of CPCB cannot be achieved in the absence of natural flow in the rivers.’’
The CPCB designated that a minimum flow of 10 cumecs or 864 million litres per day should be maintained in the river as ecological flow. However, this agreement between the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi was maintained only in its breach.
The river has an annual average flow of 12 billion kilolitres and three fourths of it flows during the monsoon. Delhi, which was allocated 724 million kilolitres water in 1994 by the Central Water Commission (CWC), believes that this water should be released to it equally through the year.
The Delhi Jal Board says that Haryana is not even releasing enough water for the city’s drinking needs and hence there is little chance that it would adhere to agreements on keeping the river clean.
‘‘About 95% of the river’s water goes for irrigation and agricultural use. Only 5% or so comes to cities. Most of the 724 million kilolitres of water allocated to us by CWC comes during the monsoon months of July-October. Between March and June, the heaviest months in terms of demand, we get only about 70 million kilolitre. This imbalance has been corrected very slightly by the SC in view of the uniformity of demand of urban areas across various seasons,’’ said Santosh Vaidya, additional CEO, DJB.
In 1996, the Supreme Court had ordered Haryana to ensure that the Wazirabad pond level be maintained at a minimum of 674.5 feet, irrespective of how much water the state released. That order of the apex court is frequently disregarded.
‘‘Haryana needs a lot of water for its irrigation purposes, especially during the summer months when its kharif crop is getting ready. At such times, there is often a tussle between the states on water. Very often the level of the Wazirabad pond drops and supply to several parts of Delhi has to be curtailed. It is not surprising that the Yamuna resembles a river only in the monsoon season when there is surplus water flowing through it,’’ said a senior DJB official.
This is also the reason why officials are pushing for a dam upstream so that the excess monsoon flows can be trapped and released slowly through the year. However, the environment implications of that suggestion are yet to be studied.
Environmentalists have long been asking states to take their responsibility seriously, especially as in a city like Delhi, where even after the interceptor sewage system is in place, all its sewage will not get treated. In its affidavit to the court, DJB had accepted even after the system, restoring the river to class-C bathing quality would be posssible only ‘‘if adequate quantity of fresh water is released by the Upper Yamuna River Board’’.
Says water activist Rajendra Singh: ‘‘The Yamuna is not a perennial river and needs to be allowed to revive itse lf. It can never be clean, despite what any government may do, unless there is fresh water in it to dilute the sewage that we release into it regularly.’’
Desired flow of fresh water in the Yamuna
864
million litres
per day Actual average flow
of water in the river
12
billion kilolitres
annually Delhi’s annual
allocation
724
million kilolitres
Average annual water
consumption in Delhi
225
litres
per capita Estimated Demand in 2021
6,272
million litres per day
DJB’s estimates
NOT A MIRAGE The river just before Wazirabad. Once it’s tapped for our water supply, it becomes a trickle
World Bank comes calling to save ‘maili’ Ganga (The Pioneer 04 March 2010)
With several crore rupees going down the drain and the Ganga still remaining ‘maili’, the World Bank (WB) has proposed a project of over a thousand crore rupees to the UP government to cleanse the mighty river.
Top WB officials conferred with Chief Secretary, Atul Kumar Gupta last week and proposed the project worth a whopping Rs 1112 crore to clean the sacred river by improving the quality of effluents being discharged into it at different places.
The proposed project targets three cities of UP - Varanasi, Kanpur and Allahabad - where domestic and industrial discharge into the river is the maximum.
Principal Secretary, Environment and Urban Development, Alok Ranjan, who attended the meeting said that the talks were fruitful. “A detailed presentation was made about the capacity of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and sewage line network in Allahabad, Varanasi and Kanpur. The WB team understood our poblem and have promised to help us,” Ranjan told ‘The Pioneer’.
A proposal seeking assistance of Rs 527.70 crore for Kanpur (City), Rs 426 crore for Varanasi and Rs 159.20 crore for Allahabad was submitted.
The project focuses on improvement and up gradation of STPs, laying new sewage lines and connecting them with branch lines.
“The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, has recently revised the effluent standards of STPs. As the existing STPs are not designed for these values, therefore there improvement or upgradation is urgently required to achieve the desired effluent standards,” the official said.
Under the proposed project, over Rs 400 crore in Kanpur would be utilised in sewerage work. This includes laying of over 500 km long sewer line in the city. The Sewer line in Kanpur was first laid in 1876 and was renovated for the first time in 1923. The city being the first industrial town of UP, Kanpur witnessed emergence of leather industry. The untreated effluent of these industries were poured directly into the river Ganga.
“The focus would be at Jajmau where three Central Effluent Treatment Plants would be upgraded,” the official said. The CETPs were set up in industrial areas where industrial discharge of two or more leather units were treated before their discharge was released into the river.
In Allahabad the scheme proposes to upgrade Sewage Treatment Plant (STPs), built under ‘Ganga Action Plan -I’ at Naini and Salori areas. While in Varanasi, besides up gradation of STPs at Dinapur and Bhagwanpur, new branch sewer lines would be laid at BHU basin and Varuna basin areas.
Over Rs 200 crore would be spent on strengethening of branch sewer network in Varansi.
Top WB officials conferred with Chief Secretary, Atul Kumar Gupta last week and proposed the project worth a whopping Rs 1112 crore to clean the sacred river by improving the quality of effluents being discharged into it at different places.
The proposed project targets three cities of UP - Varanasi, Kanpur and Allahabad - where domestic and industrial discharge into the river is the maximum.
Principal Secretary, Environment and Urban Development, Alok Ranjan, who attended the meeting said that the talks were fruitful. “A detailed presentation was made about the capacity of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and sewage line network in Allahabad, Varanasi and Kanpur. The WB team understood our poblem and have promised to help us,” Ranjan told ‘The Pioneer’.
A proposal seeking assistance of Rs 527.70 crore for Kanpur (City), Rs 426 crore for Varanasi and Rs 159.20 crore for Allahabad was submitted.
The project focuses on improvement and up gradation of STPs, laying new sewage lines and connecting them with branch lines.
“The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, has recently revised the effluent standards of STPs. As the existing STPs are not designed for these values, therefore there improvement or upgradation is urgently required to achieve the desired effluent standards,” the official said.
Under the proposed project, over Rs 400 crore in Kanpur would be utilised in sewerage work. This includes laying of over 500 km long sewer line in the city. The Sewer line in Kanpur was first laid in 1876 and was renovated for the first time in 1923. The city being the first industrial town of UP, Kanpur witnessed emergence of leather industry. The untreated effluent of these industries were poured directly into the river Ganga.
“The focus would be at Jajmau where three Central Effluent Treatment Plants would be upgraded,” the official said. The CETPs were set up in industrial areas where industrial discharge of two or more leather units were treated before their discharge was released into the river.
In Allahabad the scheme proposes to upgrade Sewage Treatment Plant (STPs), built under ‘Ganga Action Plan -I’ at Naini and Salori areas. While in Varanasi, besides up gradation of STPs at Dinapur and Bhagwanpur, new branch sewer lines would be laid at BHU basin and Varuna basin areas.
Over Rs 200 crore would be spent on strengethening of branch sewer network in Varansi.
Don’t let Ganga die River conservation needs new approach (The Pioneer 19 March 2010)
India being a country where faith plays an important part in the lives of its people, articles of faith are highly revered. And nothing can be greater articles of faith than our many rivers, each of which has been venerated and deified for centuries. This is best exemplified by Ganga, the holiest of holy rivers. Indeed, the river can be called a living symbol of the Hindu faith, drawing to its banks multitude of devotees for whom a dip in the river is a sacred and spiritual experience. Ganga is one of the most important threads binding together people across the country. Given its religio-cultural significance, it is, therefore, surprising that Ganga continues to be subjected to massive pollution, and all efforts to clean the river have been in vain. More than Rs 1,000 crore has been spent on measures aimed at cleaning the river under Ganga Action Plan I and Plan II. But this has hardly made a difference in overall quality of the river's water. As much has been said by the Planning Commission in its latest report to the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the progress of work under GAP. The report makes the alarming conclusion that even if 100 per cent utilisation were to be achieved in all sewage treatment plants along the river, Ganga would only be rid of one-third of the total waste generated in the river's basin. Commenting on the health of the river, the commission states that Ganga downstream of Haridwar fails practically all standards of purity, whether it is the Biological Oxygen Demand figure or the Faecal Coliform count. For this deplorable state of affairs, the commission blames faulty planning of capacities despite satisfactory utilisation of funds. As a result, there is a huge gap between the amount of sewage that is being generated all along the Ganga basin and the amount of waste that is being treated by the installed sewage treatment plants. Presently, only 31 per cent of sewage pouring into Ganga on a daily basis is treated.
At the heart of the problem lies our piecemeal approach to treating effluents flowing into not just Ganga but practically every river in this country, whether is Yamuna — which has been converted into an open drain — or Narmada. We simply have not been able to develop a holistic system to preserve our rivers. Our primary fault lies in setting up localised treatment points along the course of the rivers whereas our focus should ideally be on catchment area development. The latter seeks to treat the entire river basin as one unit which, in the case of a river like Ganga, will stretch across several States. This approach ensures that there is little chance of effluents flowing into the river upstream or downstream. Second, we need to start thinking innovatively if we are to save our sacred rivers. The Planning Commission estimates that we would need to build treatment capacity for a massive 29,000 million litre of sewage per day if we are to clean up all our rivers. This is a gargantuan task, especially considering the fact that many of our existing treatment plants suffer from erratic power supply. Switching over to something like advanced integrated pond systems, which purify river water through a collection of purifying ponds and rely on natural algae for aeration, saving 60 per cent of the electricity needed in conventional plants, should be looked at in earnest. Unless a drastic change is effected in our river conservation methods, we would be doing a great insult to the embodiment of faith that is our rivers. Are the people of India listening?
At the heart of the problem lies our piecemeal approach to treating effluents flowing into not just Ganga but practically every river in this country, whether is Yamuna — which has been converted into an open drain — or Narmada. We simply have not been able to develop a holistic system to preserve our rivers. Our primary fault lies in setting up localised treatment points along the course of the rivers whereas our focus should ideally be on catchment area development. The latter seeks to treat the entire river basin as one unit which, in the case of a river like Ganga, will stretch across several States. This approach ensures that there is little chance of effluents flowing into the river upstream or downstream. Second, we need to start thinking innovatively if we are to save our sacred rivers. The Planning Commission estimates that we would need to build treatment capacity for a massive 29,000 million litre of sewage per day if we are to clean up all our rivers. This is a gargantuan task, especially considering the fact that many of our existing treatment plants suffer from erratic power supply. Switching over to something like advanced integrated pond systems, which purify river water through a collection of purifying ponds and rely on natural algae for aeration, saving 60 per cent of the electricity needed in conventional plants, should be looked at in earnest. Unless a drastic change is effected in our river conservation methods, we would be doing a great insult to the embodiment of faith that is our rivers. Are the people of India listening?
Change flush-&-forget mindset, cry for Yamuna (Times of India 29 March 2010)
Yamuna is Delhi’s river. It flows through our city. But it is our shame. This is why we must build the movement to clean the river. But cleaning the river will take each one of us to connect our waste — our flush toilet — with the river. It will begin only if we can change our flush-and-forget mindset.
The fact is that Delhi has already spent a huge amount on cleaning the little stretch of the Yamuna which flows through the city. Some Rs 1,500 crore spent on cleaning this 22-km stretch of the river is possibly the highest in the country, if not the world. But all this has meant little.
The city spends and will spend much more. But it is money down the river as pollution only increases. The river, by all pollution parameters, is dead. It has just not been officially cremated.
Solutions exist. But these will first require us to relearn pollution in the rich cities of poor India. We will then understand that the answer is not in building more sewage treatment capacity or more drains and repairing even more drains to clean the river.
Just think. Delhi has already got 17 sewage treatment plants, which together add up to 40 per cent of the total installed sewage treatment capacity in India. But the fact is that these plants remain grossly underutilized.
Why? Because the city does not have drainage to convey all our excreta to the sewage treatment plants. It is expensive to build sewage drainage but even more expensive to maintain it. Today, the bulk of our city is not connected to underground drainage. It also finds that it can never repair enough. The end result is that where there is a sewage treatment plant, there is no waste to treat.
But that is only part of the story. Worse, we forget that the majority of Delhi lives unconnected to underground drainage in what we call unauthorized and illegal colonies. We forget that these areas will have sewage and that this will flow into open drains criss-crossing the city. But these are the same drains, flowing past colonies, in which the sewage treatment plant disposes of its treated effluent.
So think. In this pollution scheme, the illegal unconnected waste of the majority is being mixed with the treated waste of the minority. The result is obvious: growing pollution in the river. We can never clean Yamuna until we can treat the sewage of all in the city.
The economics of this waste matter is important to grasp. We have to pay first for the water we use and then for the waste we generate. This is because the more water we use in our houses, the more the waste we discharge. The water inequity in Delhi is legendary — parts of the city are water-flushed with over 200 litres per capita and then the rest gets a few drops.
But what we don’t realize is that we who use water and discharge the waste which ends up in the river do not pay the cost of water or its cleaning. Here’s how: It roughly costs Delhi government Rs 8-9 per kilolitre (1000 litres) to supply our water. It costs them five times more to take it back, pump it, pipe it and then treat it. We in Delhi pay nothing more than Rs 2.50 per kilolitre for our water and practically nothing for waste. How then can we get a clean river?
But it is not just the cost that we need to pay. The fact is that all governments (including Delhi) are designing systems that we cannot pay for. These are unaffordable systems to pipe water over long distances, which add to the cost of distribution and, worse, increase the losses of water. Then we design to take back the waste and pump it and pipe it over even longer distances. The cost of electricity for pumping, and even more the exorbitant cost of first building and then maintaining the infrastructure, means that nothing really changes. This is why we have to relearn the science and art of river cleaning. This is why business as usual will not add up to a clean river.
The fact is that Delhi has already spent a huge amount on cleaning the little stretch of the Yamuna which flows through the city. Some Rs 1,500 crore spent on cleaning this 22-km stretch of the river is possibly the highest in the country, if not the world. But all this has meant little.
The city spends and will spend much more. But it is money down the river as pollution only increases. The river, by all pollution parameters, is dead. It has just not been officially cremated.
Solutions exist. But these will first require us to relearn pollution in the rich cities of poor India. We will then understand that the answer is not in building more sewage treatment capacity or more drains and repairing even more drains to clean the river.
Just think. Delhi has already got 17 sewage treatment plants, which together add up to 40 per cent of the total installed sewage treatment capacity in India. But the fact is that these plants remain grossly underutilized.
Why? Because the city does not have drainage to convey all our excreta to the sewage treatment plants. It is expensive to build sewage drainage but even more expensive to maintain it. Today, the bulk of our city is not connected to underground drainage. It also finds that it can never repair enough. The end result is that where there is a sewage treatment plant, there is no waste to treat.
But that is only part of the story. Worse, we forget that the majority of Delhi lives unconnected to underground drainage in what we call unauthorized and illegal colonies. We forget that these areas will have sewage and that this will flow into open drains criss-crossing the city. But these are the same drains, flowing past colonies, in which the sewage treatment plant disposes of its treated effluent.
So think. In this pollution scheme, the illegal unconnected waste of the majority is being mixed with the treated waste of the minority. The result is obvious: growing pollution in the river. We can never clean Yamuna until we can treat the sewage of all in the city.
The economics of this waste matter is important to grasp. We have to pay first for the water we use and then for the waste we generate. This is because the more water we use in our houses, the more the waste we discharge. The water inequity in Delhi is legendary — parts of the city are water-flushed with over 200 litres per capita and then the rest gets a few drops.
But what we don’t realize is that we who use water and discharge the waste which ends up in the river do not pay the cost of water or its cleaning. Here’s how: It roughly costs Delhi government Rs 8-9 per kilolitre (1000 litres) to supply our water. It costs them five times more to take it back, pump it, pipe it and then treat it. We in Delhi pay nothing more than Rs 2.50 per kilolitre for our water and practically nothing for waste. How then can we get a clean river?
But it is not just the cost that we need to pay. The fact is that all governments (including Delhi) are designing systems that we cannot pay for. These are unaffordable systems to pipe water over long distances, which add to the cost of distribution and, worse, increase the losses of water. Then we design to take back the waste and pump it and pipe it over even longer distances. The cost of electricity for pumping, and even more the exorbitant cost of first building and then maintaining the infrastructure, means that nothing really changes. This is why we have to relearn the science and art of river cleaning. This is why business as usual will not add up to a clean river.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Flood it with fresh water to give it life (Times of India 20.3.2010)
Yamuna can’t be clean if minimum stipulated flow is not maintained
Never mind the thousands of crores being sunk to clean up the Yamuna. Can it ever become a clean stream if it doesn’t get a steady supply of fresh water and instead gets drain-loads of sewage discharged into it?
It doesn’t require any special knowledge of waterways to answer the question. It’s, of course, NO. And yet hardly anyone is focusing on the fact that the Yamuna is starved of fresh water the moment it enters Delhi’s boundaries, upstream of Wazirabad.
At the Hathnikund Barrage, north of Wazirabad, the river water is diverted into two canals — the eastern Yamuna canal and the western Yamuna canal. The river here is literally sucked dry, its tiniest drop taken out for Delhi’s water requirement.
The next 22-km journey is a nightmare for the Yamuna with tonnes of human and industrial waste being dumped into it. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in an affidavit submitted to court in 1999, said: ‘‘Even if the sewage and industrial effluent presently under various stages of control under the GAP (Ganga action plan) and YAP (Yamuna action plan) are fully treated, the water quality objectives as defined under designated best use criteria of CPCB cannot be achieved in the absence of natural flow in the rivers.’’
The CPCB designated that a minimum flow of 10 cumecs or 864 million litres per day should be maintained in the river as ecological flow. However, this agreement between the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi was maintained only in its breach.
The river has an annual average flow of 12 billion kilolitres and three fourths of it flows during the monsoon. Delhi, which was allocated 724 million kilolitres water in 1994 by the Central Water Commission (CWC), believes that this water should be released to it equally through the year.
The Delhi Jal Board says that Haryana is not even releasing enough water for the city’s drinking needs and hence there is little chance that it would adhere to agreements on keeping the river clean.
‘‘About 95% of the river’s water goes for irrigation and agricultural use. Only 5% or so comes to cities. Most of the 724 million kilolitres of water allocated to us by CWC comes during the monsoon months of July-October. Between March and June, the heaviest months in terms of demand, we get only about 70 million kilolitre. This imbalance has been corrected very slightly by the SC in view of the uniformity of demand of urban areas across various seasons,’’ said Santosh Vaidya, additional CEO, DJB.
In 1996, the Supreme Court had ordered Haryana to ensure that the Wazirabad pond level be maintained at a minimum of 674.5 feet, irrespective of how much water the state released. That order of the apex court is frequently disregarded.
‘‘Haryana needs a lot of water for its irrigation purposes, especially during the summer months when its kharif crop is getting ready. At such times, there is often a tussle between the states on water. Very often the level of the Wazirabad pond drops and supply to several parts of Delhi has to be curtailed. It is not surprising that the Yamuna resembles a river only in the monsoon season when there is surplus water flowing through it,’’ said a senior DJB official.
This is also the reason why officials are pushing for a dam upstream so that the excess monsoon flows can be trapped and released slowly through the year. However, the environment implications of that suggestion are yet to be studied.
Environmentalists have long been asking states to take their responsibility seriously, especially as in a city like Delhi, where even after the interceptor sewage system is in place, all its sewage will not get treated. In its affidavit to the court, DJB had accepted even after the system, restoring the river to class-C bathing quality would be possible only ‘‘if adequate quantity of fresh water is released by the Upper Yamuna River Board’’.
Says water activist Rajendra Singh: ‘‘The Yamuna is not a perennial river and needs to be allowed to revive itself. It can never be clean, despite what any government may do, unless there is fresh water in it to dilute the sewage that we release into it regularly.’’
Desired flow of fresh water in the Yamuna
864
million litres
per day
Actual average flow of water in the river
12
billion kilolitres
annually
Delhi’s annual allocation
724
million kilolitres
Average annual water consumption in Delhi
225
litres
per capita
Estimated Demand in 2021
6,272
million litres per day
DJB’s estimates
NOT A MIRAGE
The river just before Wazirabad. Once it’s tapped for our water supply, it becomes a trickle
Never mind the thousands of crores being sunk to clean up the Yamuna. Can it ever become a clean stream if it doesn’t get a steady supply of fresh water and instead gets drain-loads of sewage discharged into it?
It doesn’t require any special knowledge of waterways to answer the question. It’s, of course, NO. And yet hardly anyone is focusing on the fact that the Yamuna is starved of fresh water the moment it enters Delhi’s boundaries, upstream of Wazirabad.
At the Hathnikund Barrage, north of Wazirabad, the river water is diverted into two canals — the eastern Yamuna canal and the western Yamuna canal. The river here is literally sucked dry, its tiniest drop taken out for Delhi’s water requirement.
The next 22-km journey is a nightmare for the Yamuna with tonnes of human and industrial waste being dumped into it. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in an affidavit submitted to court in 1999, said: ‘‘Even if the sewage and industrial effluent presently under various stages of control under the GAP (Ganga action plan) and YAP (Yamuna action plan) are fully treated, the water quality objectives as defined under designated best use criteria of CPCB cannot be achieved in the absence of natural flow in the rivers.’’
The CPCB designated that a minimum flow of 10 cumecs or 864 million litres per day should be maintained in the river as ecological flow. However, this agreement between the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi was maintained only in its breach.
The river has an annual average flow of 12 billion kilolitres and three fourths of it flows during the monsoon. Delhi, which was allocated 724 million kilolitres water in 1994 by the Central Water Commission (CWC), believes that this water should be released to it equally through the year.
The Delhi Jal Board says that Haryana is not even releasing enough water for the city’s drinking needs and hence there is little chance that it would adhere to agreements on keeping the river clean.
‘‘About 95% of the river’s water goes for irrigation and agricultural use. Only 5% or so comes to cities. Most of the 724 million kilolitres of water allocated to us by CWC comes during the monsoon months of July-October. Between March and June, the heaviest months in terms of demand, we get only about 70 million kilolitre. This imbalance has been corrected very slightly by the SC in view of the uniformity of demand of urban areas across various seasons,’’ said Santosh Vaidya, additional CEO, DJB.
In 1996, the Supreme Court had ordered Haryana to ensure that the Wazirabad pond level be maintained at a minimum of 674.5 feet, irrespective of how much water the state released. That order of the apex court is frequently disregarded.
‘‘Haryana needs a lot of water for its irrigation purposes, especially during the summer months when its kharif crop is getting ready. At such times, there is often a tussle between the states on water. Very often the level of the Wazirabad pond drops and supply to several parts of Delhi has to be curtailed. It is not surprising that the Yamuna resembles a river only in the monsoon season when there is surplus water flowing through it,’’ said a senior DJB official.
This is also the reason why officials are pushing for a dam upstream so that the excess monsoon flows can be trapped and released slowly through the year. However, the environment implications of that suggestion are yet to be studied.
Environmentalists have long been asking states to take their responsibility seriously, especially as in a city like Delhi, where even after the interceptor sewage system is in place, all its sewage will not get treated. In its affidavit to the court, DJB had accepted even after the system, restoring the river to class-C bathing quality would be possible only ‘‘if adequate quantity of fresh water is released by the Upper Yamuna River Board’’.
Says water activist Rajendra Singh: ‘‘The Yamuna is not a perennial river and needs to be allowed to revive itself. It can never be clean, despite what any government may do, unless there is fresh water in it to dilute the sewage that we release into it regularly.’’
Desired flow of fresh water in the Yamuna
864
million litres
per day
Actual average flow of water in the river
12
billion kilolitres
annually
Delhi’s annual allocation
724
million kilolitres
Average annual water consumption in Delhi
225
litres
per capita
Estimated Demand in 2021
6,272
million litres per day
DJB’s estimates
NOT A MIRAGE
The river just before Wazirabad. Once it’s tapped for our water supply, it becomes a trickle
For showpiece Signature Bridge, 1km stretch of Yamuna to be gift-wrapped (Times of India 20.3.2010)
New Delhi: Though a clear and pollution-free Yamuna remains a distant dream for the city, there’s now hope that a small stretch of the waterway will be cleaned up within a few years and made attractive enough for Delhiites to visit and enjoy their river again.
The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) has come up with a novel proposal to clean up the stretch of river from the Wazirabad barrage to a kilometre downstream to help make the yet-to-be-built Signature bridge a tourist destination.
‘‘Since tourists will not come to see the bridge if the river is dirty, we have decided to clean up this stretch. We plan to place a rubber barrage 1km downstream of the existing barrage. Just after the flood season, the barrage will be inflated and water will collect between the Wazirabad barrage and the rubber barrage. In time, this water will clean up naturally. Before the next floods, the rubber barrage will be deflated, the water let out and the process repeated after monsoon. The technology is being used in Andhra Pradesh,’’ said a tourism department official.
There is also a plan to shift the mouth of the Najafgarh drain, which at present empties near Wazirabad barrage, about 600-700m downstream. ‘‘A pipeline will transport all drain water downstream,’’ said a tourism department official.
The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation also plans to use the water collected between the two barrages for water sports. ‘‘But this will be taken up in the second phase since at the moment our priority is to finish the Signature bridge,’’ the official added.
The Signature bridge project was first proposed in 1997 and was originally slated to be completed before the Commonwealth Games. The government now hopes to finish the work by December 2013. But, as a result of the delay, the project cost has escalated to Rs 630 crore from the original estimates of Rs 460 crore.
Signature bridge and its two approach roads, together called the Wazirabad bridge project, will cost the government a total of Rs 1,131 crore. The project includes construction of a main cablestayed bridge, the western and eastern approach roads, pedestrian subways, road signages, landscaping and horticulture work.
The bridge will have a bow-shaped pylon in the middle. Two high towers will be placed on the inner periphery of the carriageway to provide double support. The decks will be composite (steel and concrete) while the pylon will be of steel.
The project was recently revived by the Delhi government after years of indecision. ‘‘For a long time, the project did not get the go-ahead at several Cabinet meetings. Because of the delay, costs have escalated,’’ said a senior government official.
The expenditure on the project has raised eyebrows. ‘‘Had the task of building the bridge been given to any other agency, they might have made a regular bridge. But since we were given the task, we decided to make the bridge a tourist attraction,’’ said a Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation official.
Work on the approach roads is on. The bridge will connect NH-1 on the western bank of the Yamuna to the Khajuri Khas intersection on the eastern bank.
A BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER
Construction of bridge will be part of Phase I
Total length 675m, 8 lanes
Main span of the bridge
251m
Height of the single inclined steel pylon 150m (painted)
Revised cost | Rs 630cr (original was Rs 460cr)
Additional work | Eastern and western approaches
Combined cost
Rs 1,131cr
Deadline | Dec 2013
In Phase II, area around the bridge will be developed
Cleaning Yamuna for nearly 1 km downstream of Wazirabad barrage
Creating a 200-acre water body with provision of water sports
Walkway along the western side of Yamuna from Wazirabad to Majnu Ka Tila
The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) has come up with a novel proposal to clean up the stretch of river from the Wazirabad barrage to a kilometre downstream to help make the yet-to-be-built Signature bridge a tourist destination.
‘‘Since tourists will not come to see the bridge if the river is dirty, we have decided to clean up this stretch. We plan to place a rubber barrage 1km downstream of the existing barrage. Just after the flood season, the barrage will be inflated and water will collect between the Wazirabad barrage and the rubber barrage. In time, this water will clean up naturally. Before the next floods, the rubber barrage will be deflated, the water let out and the process repeated after monsoon. The technology is being used in Andhra Pradesh,’’ said a tourism department official.
There is also a plan to shift the mouth of the Najafgarh drain, which at present empties near Wazirabad barrage, about 600-700m downstream. ‘‘A pipeline will transport all drain water downstream,’’ said a tourism department official.
The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation also plans to use the water collected between the two barrages for water sports. ‘‘But this will be taken up in the second phase since at the moment our priority is to finish the Signature bridge,’’ the official added.
The Signature bridge project was first proposed in 1997 and was originally slated to be completed before the Commonwealth Games. The government now hopes to finish the work by December 2013. But, as a result of the delay, the project cost has escalated to Rs 630 crore from the original estimates of Rs 460 crore.
Signature bridge and its two approach roads, together called the Wazirabad bridge project, will cost the government a total of Rs 1,131 crore. The project includes construction of a main cablestayed bridge, the western and eastern approach roads, pedestrian subways, road signages, landscaping and horticulture work.
The bridge will have a bow-shaped pylon in the middle. Two high towers will be placed on the inner periphery of the carriageway to provide double support. The decks will be composite (steel and concrete) while the pylon will be of steel.
The project was recently revived by the Delhi government after years of indecision. ‘‘For a long time, the project did not get the go-ahead at several Cabinet meetings. Because of the delay, costs have escalated,’’ said a senior government official.
The expenditure on the project has raised eyebrows. ‘‘Had the task of building the bridge been given to any other agency, they might have made a regular bridge. But since we were given the task, we decided to make the bridge a tourist attraction,’’ said a Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation official.
Work on the approach roads is on. The bridge will connect NH-1 on the western bank of the Yamuna to the Khajuri Khas intersection on the eastern bank.
A BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER
Construction of bridge will be part of Phase I
Total length 675m, 8 lanes
Main span of the bridge
251m
Height of the single inclined steel pylon 150m (painted)
Revised cost | Rs 630cr (original was Rs 460cr)
Additional work | Eastern and western approaches
Combined cost
Rs 1,131cr
Deadline | Dec 2013
In Phase II, area around the bridge will be developed
Cleaning Yamuna for nearly 1 km downstream of Wazirabad barrage
Creating a 200-acre water body with provision of water sports
Walkway along the western side of Yamuna from Wazirabad to Majnu Ka Tila
Greater Noida land acquisition: farmers hold panchayat, to block work from today (Indian Express 22.3.2010)
Over 1,500 farmers from 16 villages took part in a panchayat held outside the Greater Noida Authority office on Sunday to decide the future course of action in their protest against the state government’s land acquisition policies and rates.
The farmers, who have been protesting at the Authority’s local office for a month, have decided to forcibly stop work undertaken by Greater Noida Authority in the district from Monday. “We will not let the Authority carry out construction work anywhere till our demands are heard,” the farmers said.
The farmers have been demanding a hike in the acquisition rates. “Right now we are getting Rs 711 per sq m, but we demand Rs 2,500 per sq m. The demands also include the implementation of the improved Land Acquisition Act,” Sardaram Bhati, organiser of the panchayat, said.
The other demands include an increase of the percentage of land, allotted to those whose lands have been acquired, from 5 to 25 per cent, as well as 50 per cent reservation of jobs in the industries that come up on the acquired land for families of the farmers.
Getting an opportunity to speak against the state government, several leaders of the BJP, Congress, RLD and Jan Shakti Party flocked the protest venue.
Five companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and additional police force from the Meerut zone were called in by the administration to be deputed in the district. “We are prepared to control any kind of mishap,” District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal said.
Agarwal assured farmers that their demands will be taken up by Greater Noida Authority officials soon. “The issues will be resolved in a month,” he added.
The farmers, who have been protesting at the Authority’s local office for a month, have decided to forcibly stop work undertaken by Greater Noida Authority in the district from Monday. “We will not let the Authority carry out construction work anywhere till our demands are heard,” the farmers said.
The farmers have been demanding a hike in the acquisition rates. “Right now we are getting Rs 711 per sq m, but we demand Rs 2,500 per sq m. The demands also include the implementation of the improved Land Acquisition Act,” Sardaram Bhati, organiser of the panchayat, said.
The other demands include an increase of the percentage of land, allotted to those whose lands have been acquired, from 5 to 25 per cent, as well as 50 per cent reservation of jobs in the industries that come up on the acquired land for families of the farmers.
Getting an opportunity to speak against the state government, several leaders of the BJP, Congress, RLD and Jan Shakti Party flocked the protest venue.
Five companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and additional police force from the Meerut zone were called in by the administration to be deputed in the district. “We are prepared to control any kind of mishap,” District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal said.
Agarwal assured farmers that their demands will be taken up by Greater Noida Authority officials soon. “The issues will be resolved in a month,” he added.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Delhi Govt offers plan for revival of Yamuna (Asian Age 15 March 2010)
In a fresh bid to revive the dying Yamuna, the Delhi government has come up with a novel proposal. It wants the upper riparian states -Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh -to ensure that the 22-km-long stretch of the river flowing through Delhi remains pollution-free. It has come up with a draft bill, which it would like Parliament to pass, to ensure this.
The Yamuna River Development Authority, constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and headed by Delhi lieutenant-governor Tejendra Khanna, formulated the draft bill to regulate the release of water into the Yamuna to make it a "running" river instead of a "standing" one as it has been reduced to now.
In a fresh bid to revive the dying river Yamuna in the capital, Delhi government has now come up with a somewhat unprecedented proposal. It wants the upper riparian states too to take responsibility for ensuring that the 22-km long stretch of the river flowing through the capital remains pollutionfree. So, it has come up with a draft bill, which it would like Parliament to pass, so that the upper riparian states share the task of keeping the Yamuna clean.
The Yamuna River Development Authority (YRDA) constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and headed by Delhi lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna has come up with the draft bill which states that the upper riparian states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh too be made accountable in ensuring that there is a prescribed release of water into the Yamuna in order to make it a "running" river instead of the "standing" one that it has been reduced to at present.
While the states, which the proposed legislation wants to make responsible, may resist the move, it appears necessary given that the once magnificent river has been reduced to a dirty stream as it winds its way through the country's capital. The YRDA will be shortly submitting its report to the PM along with a copy of the draft bill, which has been prepared by the law and justice department of the Delhi government, hoping that one day it will get Parliament's nod.
"The draft Bill envisages a two-pronged strategy to revive the 22-km long Yamuna as it passes through Delhi. First, to build reservoirs in the upper riparian states to store rain water which can be released whenever required to ensure a regular flow throughout the year," said sources.
"The second is to physically clean the river in Delhi. A central authority will have to be set up to oversee the construction and functioning of reservoirs in the upper riparian states. A state-level authority will oversee the work of physical cleaning of the river in Delhi," they added. The sources said that once the draft bill takes the form of an Act and steps are taken to implement the law, there would be tangible results by 2013 or 2014, implying that the river's condition would improve dramatically in a span of four years.
The report and the draft bill have been prepared after the technical advisory group of the YRDA and various stakeholders, including numerous NGOs and experts, held several rounds of meetings.
The idea for the legislation to clean the Yamuna has come in the backdrop of the failure of the Yamuna Action Plan I. The government has till now spent over Rs 1,800 crores to clean the river but it failed to yield any tangible results.
However, to initiate the physical cleaning of the river, the Delhi Jal Board plans to set up interceptors for sewers along major drains to reduce the huge flow of domestic waste and industrial effluents into the Yamuna which significantly contribute to its pollution.
The Yamuna River Development Authority, constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and headed by Delhi lieutenant-governor Tejendra Khanna, formulated the draft bill to regulate the release of water into the Yamuna to make it a "running" river instead of a "standing" one as it has been reduced to now.
In a fresh bid to revive the dying river Yamuna in the capital, Delhi government has now come up with a somewhat unprecedented proposal. It wants the upper riparian states too to take responsibility for ensuring that the 22-km long stretch of the river flowing through the capital remains pollutionfree. So, it has come up with a draft bill, which it would like Parliament to pass, so that the upper riparian states share the task of keeping the Yamuna clean.
The Yamuna River Development Authority (YRDA) constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and headed by Delhi lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna has come up with the draft bill which states that the upper riparian states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh too be made accountable in ensuring that there is a prescribed release of water into the Yamuna in order to make it a "running" river instead of the "standing" one that it has been reduced to at present.
While the states, which the proposed legislation wants to make responsible, may resist the move, it appears necessary given that the once magnificent river has been reduced to a dirty stream as it winds its way through the country's capital. The YRDA will be shortly submitting its report to the PM along with a copy of the draft bill, which has been prepared by the law and justice department of the Delhi government, hoping that one day it will get Parliament's nod.
"The draft Bill envisages a two-pronged strategy to revive the 22-km long Yamuna as it passes through Delhi. First, to build reservoirs in the upper riparian states to store rain water which can be released whenever required to ensure a regular flow throughout the year," said sources.
"The second is to physically clean the river in Delhi. A central authority will have to be set up to oversee the construction and functioning of reservoirs in the upper riparian states. A state-level authority will oversee the work of physical cleaning of the river in Delhi," they added. The sources said that once the draft bill takes the form of an Act and steps are taken to implement the law, there would be tangible results by 2013 or 2014, implying that the river's condition would improve dramatically in a span of four years.
The report and the draft bill have been prepared after the technical advisory group of the YRDA and various stakeholders, including numerous NGOs and experts, held several rounds of meetings.
The idea for the legislation to clean the Yamuna has come in the backdrop of the failure of the Yamuna Action Plan I. The government has till now spent over Rs 1,800 crores to clean the river but it failed to yield any tangible results.
However, to initiate the physical cleaning of the river, the Delhi Jal Board plans to set up interceptors for sewers along major drains to reduce the huge flow of domestic waste and industrial effluents into the Yamuna which significantly contribute to its pollution.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Delhi Wastes half the water it gets (Hindustan Times 12 March 2010)
Wasted Water is water fed into the system that doesnt reach consumers
When it comes to wasting treated water, the country's mega cities are the biggest culprits. This, when about 68 per cent of the population has access to piped water supply.
Wasted water, or non-rev- enue water, is water that is fed into the system but does not reach a consumer -- either due to pilferage or because of leakage in pipes.
Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that seven mega cities in the country waste between 13 and 53 per cent of treated water.
Delhi tops the list, wast- ing 52.4 per cent of treated water, followed by Banga- lore (50.9 per cent) and Hyderabad (37.5 per cent).
Mumbai is one of the better performers, where wastage of treated water is 13 per cent, followed by Chennai with 17 per cent.
"The states' water boards/corporations do not have the capacity or the expertise to identify or plug the leakages. Unless leak- ages are fixed, wastage will continue," said V. Srinivas Chary, director, Centre for Energy, Environment, Urban Governance and Infrastructure Development at Hyderabad's Administrative Staff College of India.
When it comes to wasting treated water, the country's mega cities are the biggest culprits. This, when about 68 per cent of the population has access to piped water supply.
Wasted water, or non-rev- enue water, is water that is fed into the system but does not reach a consumer -- either due to pilferage or because of leakage in pipes.
Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that seven mega cities in the country waste between 13 and 53 per cent of treated water.
Delhi tops the list, wast- ing 52.4 per cent of treated water, followed by Banga- lore (50.9 per cent) and Hyderabad (37.5 per cent).
Mumbai is one of the better performers, where wastage of treated water is 13 per cent, followed by Chennai with 17 per cent.
"The states' water boards/corporations do not have the capacity or the expertise to identify or plug the leakages. Unless leak- ages are fixed, wastage will continue," said V. Srinivas Chary, director, Centre for Energy, Environment, Urban Governance and Infrastructure Development at Hyderabad's Administrative Staff College of India.
When it comes to wasting treated water, the country's mega cities are the biggest culprits. This, when about 68 per cent of the population has access to piped water supply.
Wasted water, or non-rev- enue water, is water that is fed into the system but does not reach a consumer -- either due to pilferage or because of leakage in pipes.
Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that seven mega cities in the country waste between 13 and 53 per cent of treated water.
Delhi tops the list, wast- ing 52.4 per cent of treated water, followed by Banga- lore (50.9 per cent) and Hyderabad (37.5 per cent).
Mumbai is one of the better performers, where wastage of treated water is 13 per cent, followed by Chennai with 17 per cent.
"The states' water boards/corporations do not have the capacity or the expertise to identify or plug the leakages. Unless leak- ages are fixed, wastage will continue," said V. Srinivas Chary, director, Centre for Energy, Environment, Urban Governance and Infrastructure Development at Hyderabad's Administrative Staff College of India.
When it comes to wasting treated water, the country's mega cities are the biggest culprits. This, when about 68 per cent of the population has access to piped water supply.
Wasted water, or non-rev- enue water, is water that is fed into the system but does not reach a consumer -- either due to pilferage or because of leakage in pipes.
Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that seven mega cities in the country waste between 13 and 53 per cent of treated water.
Delhi tops the list, wast- ing 52.4 per cent of treated water, followed by Banga- lore (50.9 per cent) and Hyderabad (37.5 per cent).
Mumbai is one of the better performers, where wastage of treated water is 13 per cent, followed by Chennai with 17 per cent.
"The states' water boards/corporations do not have the capacity or the expertise to identify or plug the leakages. Unless leak- ages are fixed, wastage will continue," said V. Srinivas Chary, director, Centre for Energy, Environment, Urban Governance and Infrastructure Development at Hyderabad's Administrative Staff College of India.
Haryana to release more water for Delhi (Hindu 10 March 2010)
NEW DELHI: Haryana has agreed to release more water for Delhi after the level at Wazirabad pond fell from 674.5 feet to 672.8 feet on Tuesday.
To prevent a huge shortfall in supply, Haryana will release more water from Wednesday, said Delhi Jal Board officials.
Officials were, however, quick to point out that the water supply in the city is still “normal” despite the dip in the Wazirabad pond level.
“There has been a dip in the supply of raw water from Haryana. The State's water needs have gone up because of the agricultural needs at this time of the year, but Delhi has notified them (Haryana) about the dip in the pond level and they have agreed to do the needful,” said an official.
Because of the dip in pond level, the production of water at the Wazirabad water treatment plant has come down from 120 MGD to 93 MGD. Water production at the 90-MGD Chandrawal water treatment plant too has decreased by about 10 MGD.
“We are hopeful that Haryana will release the required quantity of water and the production will be back to normal,” the official said.
If Haryana releases the water on Wednesday, it will reach Delhi in the next 48 hours.
To prevent a huge shortfall in supply, Haryana will release more water from Wednesday, said Delhi Jal Board officials.
Officials were, however, quick to point out that the water supply in the city is still “normal” despite the dip in the Wazirabad pond level.
“There has been a dip in the supply of raw water from Haryana. The State's water needs have gone up because of the agricultural needs at this time of the year, but Delhi has notified them (Haryana) about the dip in the pond level and they have agreed to do the needful,” said an official.
Because of the dip in pond level, the production of water at the Wazirabad water treatment plant has come down from 120 MGD to 93 MGD. Water production at the 90-MGD Chandrawal water treatment plant too has decreased by about 10 MGD.
“We are hopeful that Haryana will release the required quantity of water and the production will be back to normal,” the official said.
If Haryana releases the water on Wednesday, it will reach Delhi in the next 48 hours.
Migratory bird count falls sharply in Delhi (Hindu 08 March 2010)
Existing habitats will be gone unless the Yamuna basin is protected, says Asian Water Bird Census-2010
Paradise lost?: Okhla Bird Sanctuary is the only major habitat that still attracts a large number of migratory water birds though their number has gone down this year.
NEW DELHI: With the Asian Water Bird Census-2010 in Delhi revealing a marked fall in the arrival of migratory birds, the report of the State Coordinator Delhi for Wetlands International South Asia has cautioned that until the general public becomes aware about conservation and the Government takes immediate steps for protection of the Yamuna river basin, the existing habitats of water birds in Delhi will become completely degraded and get converted into dry lands in the near future.
The bird census was conducted at four sites across Delhi during the scheduled period between January 9 and January 24 by AWC Delhi State Coordinator with the help of a volunteer team.
State coordinator T.K. Roy said this year a number of factors affected the arrival of birds. “The winter was late and the arrival of migratory water birds was less both in number and species. Even otherwise the migration rate of water birds has been gradually declining in Delhi region during the last few years.''
Mr. Roy said while overall effects of global warming, climatic changes and degradation of habitats were the major reason behind declining rate of migration of water birds all over the world as per reports of the scientific organisations, in Delhi a number of local factors have also contributed to this worrying trend.
He said among the four Asian Water Bird Census sites in Delhi, the four square km area of Okhla Bird Sanctuary is the only major habitat in the heart of polluted Delhi that still attracts a large number of migratory water birds from diversified species during winter. However, he said, the census found an alarming drop in their numbers this year. Only 112 bar-headed geese came this year compared with 212 in 2009. Similarly the number of gadwal was down to 72 from 302; northern shoveler to 484 from 854; northern pintail 172 instead of 272; only 231 common coot were spotted in place of 355 in 2009; the mixed flock of brown-headed and black-headed gull dropped to 345 from 877 while the Eurasian widgeon came down to 15 from 18.
While the number of grey-leg geese remains almost the same at 411 instead of 416 in 2009, the number of Eurasian spoonbills increased to 16 from six. The only species which showed a marked increase in arrivals was the common teal which increased to 184 from 78 in 2009.
However, the number of common pochard fell drastically to 28 from 320 in 2009; while the tufted pochard also dropped to just four from 236 in 2009. The local resident species of greater flamingos this time suddenly disappeared during January and 20 were later tracked. The other species that gave Delhi a miss this time included avocet, bar-headed and black-tailed godwits, comb duck and garganey among others.
As for the local conditions which adversely impacted the arrival of these birds, Mr. Roy said the water level of the sanctuary was higher during winter and the smaller islands and marshlands remained almost submerged. Due to this most of the common wader species did not camp in Delhi this winter as they could not find suitable habitat to walk on water and feed.
Still some of the waders like wood sandpiper, green shank, spotted green shank, common Redshank, little stint and temminck's stint did arrive in small numbers to areas downstream of the Okhla Barrage.
On the western bank of the Yamuna, Mr. Roy said, while the sanctuary provides a much better habitat to the waders, as it has marshlands, the disturbance caused by the frequent movement of people and cattle kept them away.
“Almost the entire habitat for water birds along the stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi region is badly degrading (except upstream of Wazirabad and Okhla barrage) due to winter cultivation on the river bed and islands and extreme water pollution due to direct flow of industrial and domestic sewage, through canals and drains, into the river. Dumping of non-biodegradable waste into the river and rapid development works pertaining to construction of roads and bridges for the upcoming Commonwealth Games are all affecting the arrival of birds,'' he said.
Though following the census, many of migratory species like northern shoveler, northern pintail, common coot, common teal, gadwal, brown-headed and black-headed gulls and Eurasian spoonbill came to the sanctuary, he said, this was primarily de-migration as the temperatures went up sharply in the early part of February.
Paradise lost?: Okhla Bird Sanctuary is the only major habitat that still attracts a large number of migratory water birds though their number has gone down this year.
NEW DELHI: With the Asian Water Bird Census-2010 in Delhi revealing a marked fall in the arrival of migratory birds, the report of the State Coordinator Delhi for Wetlands International South Asia has cautioned that until the general public becomes aware about conservation and the Government takes immediate steps for protection of the Yamuna river basin, the existing habitats of water birds in Delhi will become completely degraded and get converted into dry lands in the near future.
The bird census was conducted at four sites across Delhi during the scheduled period between January 9 and January 24 by AWC Delhi State Coordinator with the help of a volunteer team.
State coordinator T.K. Roy said this year a number of factors affected the arrival of birds. “The winter was late and the arrival of migratory water birds was less both in number and species. Even otherwise the migration rate of water birds has been gradually declining in Delhi region during the last few years.''
Mr. Roy said while overall effects of global warming, climatic changes and degradation of habitats were the major reason behind declining rate of migration of water birds all over the world as per reports of the scientific organisations, in Delhi a number of local factors have also contributed to this worrying trend.
He said among the four Asian Water Bird Census sites in Delhi, the four square km area of Okhla Bird Sanctuary is the only major habitat in the heart of polluted Delhi that still attracts a large number of migratory water birds from diversified species during winter. However, he said, the census found an alarming drop in their numbers this year. Only 112 bar-headed geese came this year compared with 212 in 2009. Similarly the number of gadwal was down to 72 from 302; northern shoveler to 484 from 854; northern pintail 172 instead of 272; only 231 common coot were spotted in place of 355 in 2009; the mixed flock of brown-headed and black-headed gull dropped to 345 from 877 while the Eurasian widgeon came down to 15 from 18.
While the number of grey-leg geese remains almost the same at 411 instead of 416 in 2009, the number of Eurasian spoonbills increased to 16 from six. The only species which showed a marked increase in arrivals was the common teal which increased to 184 from 78 in 2009.
However, the number of common pochard fell drastically to 28 from 320 in 2009; while the tufted pochard also dropped to just four from 236 in 2009. The local resident species of greater flamingos this time suddenly disappeared during January and 20 were later tracked. The other species that gave Delhi a miss this time included avocet, bar-headed and black-tailed godwits, comb duck and garganey among others.
As for the local conditions which adversely impacted the arrival of these birds, Mr. Roy said the water level of the sanctuary was higher during winter and the smaller islands and marshlands remained almost submerged. Due to this most of the common wader species did not camp in Delhi this winter as they could not find suitable habitat to walk on water and feed.
Still some of the waders like wood sandpiper, green shank, spotted green shank, common Redshank, little stint and temminck's stint did arrive in small numbers to areas downstream of the Okhla Barrage.
On the western bank of the Yamuna, Mr. Roy said, while the sanctuary provides a much better habitat to the waders, as it has marshlands, the disturbance caused by the frequent movement of people and cattle kept them away.
“Almost the entire habitat for water birds along the stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi region is badly degrading (except upstream of Wazirabad and Okhla barrage) due to winter cultivation on the river bed and islands and extreme water pollution due to direct flow of industrial and domestic sewage, through canals and drains, into the river. Dumping of non-biodegradable waste into the river and rapid development works pertaining to construction of roads and bridges for the upcoming Commonwealth Games are all affecting the arrival of birds,'' he said.
Though following the census, many of migratory species like northern shoveler, northern pintail, common coot, common teal, gadwal, brown-headed and black-headed gulls and Eurasian spoonbill came to the sanctuary, he said, this was primarily de-migration as the temperatures went up sharply in the early part of February.
‘First phase of Hindon cleaning a success’ (Indian Express - Monday, 15 March 2010)
Pragya Kaushika
Ghaziabad : After exactly a year and over Rs 1 crore, the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad (MCG) claims to have brought down the pollution levels of the Hindon river.
With the completion of first phase of the Hindon-cleaning project, the statistics with the MCG shows the level of Biological Oxygen Demand (measure of pollutant organic material in water), which was 45 milligram/litre (mg/l) earlier, has come down to 9.6 mg/l in January according to the records available with the pollution control board.
The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in Hindon was 180 mg/l earlier, and came down to 36 mg/l in January.
“According to pollution control standards, COD should be below 120 mg/l,” a senior MCG official said.
The budget for the first phase of cleaning the Hindon was Rs 1.23 crores.
Officials say the process of cleaning two kms as part of the first phase, out of a total of eight kms that falls within the jurisdiction of the civic agency, took a year. This year, the agency plans to clean up the remaining six kms.
Apart from cleaning up the river, which originates in the Shivalik valleys and covers a distance of 260 kms before merging with the Yamuna in Gautam Budh Nagar, the areas surrounding the river in Ghaziabad have also been cleaned and developed as ghats.
“The biggest challenge in the ‘Cleaning Hindon’ project was preventing people from disposing of religious items in the river. The next step was preventing washermen from using the Hindon ghats. We also had to stop people from defecating along the river banks,” City Commissioner Ajay Shanker Pandey said.
As part of the project, the commissioner directed that religious material was to be disposed in the Hawan Kund near Hindon. The civic agency put up 400 disposal units at various temples in the city. The city was divided into five zones and one vehicle was deployed to visit temples in each zone and collect material from the disposal units.
“The collected material was then dumped in Hawan Kund. This way, we have managed to prevent the dumping of 12 tonnes of religious material in the river. We have also developed pukka ghats and put up nets in the river to catch any immersed waste,” Pandey said.
The commissioner approved the building of separate washing ghats to stop people from washing clothes in the river. Toilets were also constructed in the area.
“Two task forces were formed to clean the water of plastic material and other wastes every day,” Pandey said. The second phase of cleaning has begun, he added.
For A clean hindon
Rs 1.23 cr
Budget of first phase
2 km
River length cleaned
Ghaziabad : After exactly a year and over Rs 1 crore, the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad (MCG) claims to have brought down the pollution levels of the Hindon river.
With the completion of first phase of the Hindon-cleaning project, the statistics with the MCG shows the level of Biological Oxygen Demand (measure of pollutant organic material in water), which was 45 milligram/litre (mg/l) earlier, has come down to 9.6 mg/l in January according to the records available with the pollution control board.
The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in Hindon was 180 mg/l earlier, and came down to 36 mg/l in January.
“According to pollution control standards, COD should be below 120 mg/l,” a senior MCG official said.
The budget for the first phase of cleaning the Hindon was Rs 1.23 crores.
Officials say the process of cleaning two kms as part of the first phase, out of a total of eight kms that falls within the jurisdiction of the civic agency, took a year. This year, the agency plans to clean up the remaining six kms.
Apart from cleaning up the river, which originates in the Shivalik valleys and covers a distance of 260 kms before merging with the Yamuna in Gautam Budh Nagar, the areas surrounding the river in Ghaziabad have also been cleaned and developed as ghats.
“The biggest challenge in the ‘Cleaning Hindon’ project was preventing people from disposing of religious items in the river. The next step was preventing washermen from using the Hindon ghats. We also had to stop people from defecating along the river banks,” City Commissioner Ajay Shanker Pandey said.
As part of the project, the commissioner directed that religious material was to be disposed in the Hawan Kund near Hindon. The civic agency put up 400 disposal units at various temples in the city. The city was divided into five zones and one vehicle was deployed to visit temples in each zone and collect material from the disposal units.
“The collected material was then dumped in Hawan Kund. This way, we have managed to prevent the dumping of 12 tonnes of religious material in the river. We have also developed pukka ghats and put up nets in the river to catch any immersed waste,” Pandey said.
The commissioner approved the building of separate washing ghats to stop people from washing clothes in the river. Toilets were also constructed in the area.
“Two task forces were formed to clean the water of plastic material and other wastes every day,” Pandey said. The second phase of cleaning has begun, he added.
For A clean hindon
Rs 1.23 cr
Budget of first phase
2 km
River length cleaned
Friday, March 12, 2010
Water pollution in Punjab; Baba Seechewal offers a solution (The Tribune- 13 Mar. 2010)
by Bikram Singh Virk
THE untreated sewerage water of the cities is a big problem in Punjab with its stink making life a hell for the urbanites. With no treatment facilities at most of the places, water flows through open nullahs and pollute the water bodies, including rivulets, water streams and even the rivers.
The Sutlej is totally black and stinking beyond Ludhiana, as the city’s effluents along with the untreated sewerage water fall into it through Buddhah Nullah.
The Malwa belt, where people use this water for drinking purposes, today is marred by cancer. None of the statutes or government dictates has cured this malaise.
A solution to this multi-faceted problem is a unique sewerage treatment plant, which the noted environmentalist and the man behind the cleansing of Kali Bein, Sant Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, has indigenously designed and built on about six acres of land near Dasuya town in Hoshiarpur district at a measly cost of about Rs 18 lakh.
The plant, built in one month’s time only, has in the first leg three 11 ft-deep wells with a diametre of 30 ft, 20 ft and 15 ft respectively and six adjoining ponds of 170ft x 100 ft in the second leg, all built at the height of about 12 ft from the ground level.
Thick sewerage water from the open nullah is thrown through two pump sets in the first well from a height by scattering it on a platform for aeration. It then swivels in the well and enters into the second and then into the third one.
Sewerage water loses its thick slurry in the bottoms of these V-Shaped wells from where it is separated with the help of a pre-laid underground pipe and taken aside in the open beds. After drying, this slurry becomes very fertile soil capable of growing vegetable and flowers in flower pots and kitchen gardens.
The water from the wells then moves to the adjoining larger ponds of 170ft x 100ft, three of which are built in a row and gets purified automatically as it moves from one pond to another, losing its stink after the second pond.
After passing through the first three, water enters into the set of other three ponds parallel to the first ones. In the fifth and sixth ponds, the water is crystal clear and fit for irrigation purposes with all the healthy nutrients in it.
From here it is channelled to a 3 km underground pipeline taking it to the adjoining fields for irrigation. The tilt of wells and ponds is so designed that the water moves automatically with the gravitational force.
Daily around 10 to 12 lakh litres of sewerage water of Dasuya, having a population of around 20,000, falls into this sewer and irrigates around 300 acres of crop of wheat post-treatment.
Farmers who use this water are a happy lot as they have stopped using ground water for irrigation and their yield has shot up by 30 to 40 per cent due to this nutrient rich water.
Roughly, it increased the output of wheat by around 180 tonnes and that of paddy by 240 tonnes last year from these 300 acres, which means an additional income of Rs 40 lakh to the farmers.
Their fertiliser consumption has also fallen to around one-third of what they used earlier and approximately 60 tonnes of urea and 30 tonnes of DAP was saved in a year, which means a net saving of about Rs 6 lakh on account of fertilisers.
Since the farmers have stopped using underground water, the water table has also gone up fairly in the area. Kali Bein, which was polluted with its dirty water, has been spared of this curse.
In nutshell, this plant can be seen a model for solving the sewer woes of all the towns in Punjab and that too with huge economic and environmental advantages coming in as a bonus.
Punjab today has 134 municipalities and three corporations with a population base of about 85 lakh. Taking Dasuya town’s population as the base for all calculations, all the cities of Punjab put together have a capacity to irrigate 1,25,000 acres of land, thereby increasing the output of wheat and paddy by 37,500 tonnes and 50,000 tonnes respectively, which means an additional income of about Rs 80 crore to the state farmers.
They will also save around 25,000 tonnes of urea and 12,500 tonnes of DAP resulting in a net saving of Rs 24 crore. It will further stop polluting the water bodies and ground water and the people will be spared of diseases caused by impurities in water. All the rivers and rivulets of Punjab will again become clean with a single stroke.
Apart from land, with a cost of around Rs 75 crore, this model can be easily replicated in small and medium towns of Punjab. The only thing which needs to be ensured is that the implementation work should not be entrusted to any government agency, which may take years to commission the plants and at many times of what Baba Seechewal has spent.
It will be in the fitness of things if the required land and funds are handed over to Sant Seechewal’s NGO, which can build such treatment plants in Punjab in a single year! There is no better solution to the problem of water pollution in Punjab than these low-cost treatment plants.
THE untreated sewerage water of the cities is a big problem in Punjab with its stink making life a hell for the urbanites. With no treatment facilities at most of the places, water flows through open nullahs and pollute the water bodies, including rivulets, water streams and even the rivers.
The Sutlej is totally black and stinking beyond Ludhiana, as the city’s effluents along with the untreated sewerage water fall into it through Buddhah Nullah.
The Malwa belt, where people use this water for drinking purposes, today is marred by cancer. None of the statutes or government dictates has cured this malaise.
A solution to this multi-faceted problem is a unique sewerage treatment plant, which the noted environmentalist and the man behind the cleansing of Kali Bein, Sant Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, has indigenously designed and built on about six acres of land near Dasuya town in Hoshiarpur district at a measly cost of about Rs 18 lakh.
The plant, built in one month’s time only, has in the first leg three 11 ft-deep wells with a diametre of 30 ft, 20 ft and 15 ft respectively and six adjoining ponds of 170ft x 100 ft in the second leg, all built at the height of about 12 ft from the ground level.
Thick sewerage water from the open nullah is thrown through two pump sets in the first well from a height by scattering it on a platform for aeration. It then swivels in the well and enters into the second and then into the third one.
Sewerage water loses its thick slurry in the bottoms of these V-Shaped wells from where it is separated with the help of a pre-laid underground pipe and taken aside in the open beds. After drying, this slurry becomes very fertile soil capable of growing vegetable and flowers in flower pots and kitchen gardens.
The water from the wells then moves to the adjoining larger ponds of 170ft x 100ft, three of which are built in a row and gets purified automatically as it moves from one pond to another, losing its stink after the second pond.
After passing through the first three, water enters into the set of other three ponds parallel to the first ones. In the fifth and sixth ponds, the water is crystal clear and fit for irrigation purposes with all the healthy nutrients in it.
From here it is channelled to a 3 km underground pipeline taking it to the adjoining fields for irrigation. The tilt of wells and ponds is so designed that the water moves automatically with the gravitational force.
Daily around 10 to 12 lakh litres of sewerage water of Dasuya, having a population of around 20,000, falls into this sewer and irrigates around 300 acres of crop of wheat post-treatment.
Farmers who use this water are a happy lot as they have stopped using ground water for irrigation and their yield has shot up by 30 to 40 per cent due to this nutrient rich water.
Roughly, it increased the output of wheat by around 180 tonnes and that of paddy by 240 tonnes last year from these 300 acres, which means an additional income of Rs 40 lakh to the farmers.
Their fertiliser consumption has also fallen to around one-third of what they used earlier and approximately 60 tonnes of urea and 30 tonnes of DAP was saved in a year, which means a net saving of about Rs 6 lakh on account of fertilisers.
Since the farmers have stopped using underground water, the water table has also gone up fairly in the area. Kali Bein, which was polluted with its dirty water, has been spared of this curse.
In nutshell, this plant can be seen a model for solving the sewer woes of all the towns in Punjab and that too with huge economic and environmental advantages coming in as a bonus.
Punjab today has 134 municipalities and three corporations with a population base of about 85 lakh. Taking Dasuya town’s population as the base for all calculations, all the cities of Punjab put together have a capacity to irrigate 1,25,000 acres of land, thereby increasing the output of wheat and paddy by 37,500 tonnes and 50,000 tonnes respectively, which means an additional income of about Rs 80 crore to the state farmers.
They will also save around 25,000 tonnes of urea and 12,500 tonnes of DAP resulting in a net saving of Rs 24 crore. It will further stop polluting the water bodies and ground water and the people will be spared of diseases caused by impurities in water. All the rivers and rivulets of Punjab will again become clean with a single stroke.
Apart from land, with a cost of around Rs 75 crore, this model can be easily replicated in small and medium towns of Punjab. The only thing which needs to be ensured is that the implementation work should not be entrusted to any government agency, which may take years to commission the plants and at many times of what Baba Seechewal has spent.
It will be in the fitness of things if the required land and funds are handed over to Sant Seechewal’s NGO, which can build such treatment plants in Punjab in a single year! There is no better solution to the problem of water pollution in Punjab than these low-cost treatment plants.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Letter to Sri Jairam Ramesh regarding mechanised sand mining (Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan- 04 March 2010)
To,
Sri Jairam Ramesh,
Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Lodi Road
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
Greetings from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan
Sir, Hamirpur in UP is a relatively obscure district headquarter town nestled between river Yamuna and river Betwa. It lies 65 Km south of Kanpur city on NH 86. It is also one of the 14 sites at which we are engaged in setting up ‘Nadi Mitra Mandali’ (Friends of the River) consisting of local people, interested in safeguarding their life line river/s.
A recent visit to the project villages has revealed not just over whelming support for the two rivers amongst the local people but also an ugly picture of the ongoing river bed devastation of river Betwa in form of mechanised sand mining that reportedly results in removal of truck loads of river sand in excess of 1000 trucks per day. One can well imagine the fate of the river in the face of such mindless mining and transportation activity. And not just the river bed, it is also the hapless villagers who are faced with a constant barrage of empty and loaded trucks plying day in day out on their dusty village roads. To top it, imagine as a result, the state of the so called National Highway, on which it took us three and a half hours to cover the 65 km to Kanpur.
It is a little appreciated tragedy that despite critical ecological role of sand in a river system (kindly peruse the enclosed summary of an article), river sand has been included amongst minor metals whose mining (courtesy the Mining Department) is seen as of little consequence for the river and used only as a revenue earner for the state’s exchequer.
While admittedly sand removal (if carried out manually and in a controlled manner) from river beds and flood plains could be seen to be a sustainable economic activity for local people post every monsoon, its devastating effects when indulged in an unbridled manner (as highlighted in the enclosed pictorial report) requires urgent attention and regulation.
Accordingly we suggest, if we may, that please consider inclusion of mechanised sand mining from river beds as one of the activity requiring prior environmental clearance from the MOEF under the EIA Notification, 2006.
We hope that our suggestion would merit requisite attention at your end.
Warm regards,
Manoj Misra
Convener
Sri Jairam Ramesh,
Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Lodi Road
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
Greetings from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan
Sir, Hamirpur in UP is a relatively obscure district headquarter town nestled between river Yamuna and river Betwa. It lies 65 Km south of Kanpur city on NH 86. It is also one of the 14 sites at which we are engaged in setting up ‘Nadi Mitra Mandali’ (Friends of the River) consisting of local people, interested in safeguarding their life line river/s.
A recent visit to the project villages has revealed not just over whelming support for the two rivers amongst the local people but also an ugly picture of the ongoing river bed devastation of river Betwa in form of mechanised sand mining that reportedly results in removal of truck loads of river sand in excess of 1000 trucks per day. One can well imagine the fate of the river in the face of such mindless mining and transportation activity. And not just the river bed, it is also the hapless villagers who are faced with a constant barrage of empty and loaded trucks plying day in day out on their dusty village roads. To top it, imagine as a result, the state of the so called National Highway, on which it took us three and a half hours to cover the 65 km to Kanpur.
It is a little appreciated tragedy that despite critical ecological role of sand in a river system (kindly peruse the enclosed summary of an article), river sand has been included amongst minor metals whose mining (courtesy the Mining Department) is seen as of little consequence for the river and used only as a revenue earner for the state’s exchequer.
While admittedly sand removal (if carried out manually and in a controlled manner) from river beds and flood plains could be seen to be a sustainable economic activity for local people post every monsoon, its devastating effects when indulged in an unbridled manner (as highlighted in the enclosed pictorial report) requires urgent attention and regulation.
Accordingly we suggest, if we may, that please consider inclusion of mechanised sand mining from river beds as one of the activity requiring prior environmental clearance from the MOEF under the EIA Notification, 2006.
We hope that our suggestion would merit requisite attention at your end.
Warm regards,
Manoj Misra
Convener
Letter to PM (Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan- 06 March 2010)
To,
Dr Manmohan Singh
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
Greetings from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan.
Sir, when we fail to learn from our past mistakes or make timely amends, we are doomed to revisit our history. And the history of the mismanagement of our rivers indicate that our preoccupation with technological solutions to what essentially is an ecological tragedy will yet again not take us far except leaving us with dysfunctional and at many places non essential infrastructure for some future Prime Minister at a future date to lament the shortsightedness of present day administrators and planners.
Thus this is to express our utter disappointment on the 'old wine in old bottle' approach (as reported in the media) being pursued with respect to tackling the river issue with respect to river Ganga under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) dispensation which when first came into being under you Chairmanship raised lots of hopes that now at least the river question would be addressed in a holistic manner. But alas !
Sir, we wonder as to when would our planners come to understand that the river 'problem' in our country is primarily not about its cleaning. And as long as we remain obsessed with cleaning of our rivers, more and more funds would be lost to implementing (or at least trying to) ineffectual prescriptions.
Sir, when we say basin level approach and treatment for our rivers, then we have an opportunity to think, plan and implement actions which are 'out of the box'.
These 'out of the box' questions include
a) What has happened to the 'flow' (the very basis of any river) in our rivers?
b) Can we take hard administrative (and not just judicial suggestions which have made little difference on the ground) decisions to ensure a minimum lean season environmental flows in all our rivers through a legislative action?
c) Why should waste water including sewage (originating from our towns and cities) even be permitted to drain into our rivers? The fact is that the first charge on waste water (except toxic industrial effluent) after treatment is to irrigate the farm lands and cool industrial processes and not to drain into water bodies and rivers. (Kindly recall that this was the only prescription which proved effective when Baba Balbir Singh and his followers went about successfully reviving the holy river Kali Bein in Punjab)
d) Why should our cities and industries not invest primarily and heavily in water 'recycling' (of whatever is available) and rain water harvest to meet their needs, rather look towards rivers near or even far away as their current or future source of water and draining away of their respective wastes?
e) Why is fresh water flowing in our rivers, although essential and life sustaining, being seen as an irrigation and industrial 'luxury' and its 'rationed' use by all the concerned not being promoted as a national goal?
f) Why is the ground water recharge role of our river systems not being appreciated enough?
g) Why our rivers as 'once upon a time' mode of cheap and easy transportation not being explored and promoted again?
h) Why is a river (including its flood plains) system not being seen as a unique ecosystem requiring urgent protection by law?
With the above as few of the critical questions we should then be investing primarily on
a) Catchment treatment / enrichment of our river basins to retain more and more of rain water that falls on them
b) Taking a policy decision to promote unfettered flow of rivers, by deciding that structures (dams, barrages, bridges, embankments etc) on the rivers shall be an exception and not a matter of rule. As a beginning let us at least agree on treating some of our rivers like river Chambal (and river Ganga and Yamuna tributaries in Uttarakhand and Himachal) as natural and protected against any additional harness
b) Creation of waste water diversion (away from rivers and natural water bodies), cleaning and supply infrastructure to meet primarily irrigation and industrial needs
c) Ensuring by law a minimum environmental flow round the year in all our rivers beginning river Ganga and all its tributaries (including Yamuna)
d) Ensuring by law the protection to the flood plains and all its flora and fauna of the river systems in the land
e) Making it obligatory on the part of city planners and industries to meet their water needs through recycling and rain water harvests.
f) Promotion of rivers as mode of in land transportation
Sir, we hope that our submissions made as above would be given due attention and found useful for ensuring the nation's long term environmental and water security. At the very least, please do not let the nation repeat the follies of Ganga and Yamuna Action Plans!
Warm regards,
Manoj Misra
Convener
Dr Manmohan Singh
Hon'ble Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
Greetings from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan.
Sir, when we fail to learn from our past mistakes or make timely amends, we are doomed to revisit our history. And the history of the mismanagement of our rivers indicate that our preoccupation with technological solutions to what essentially is an ecological tragedy will yet again not take us far except leaving us with dysfunctional and at many places non essential infrastructure for some future Prime Minister at a future date to lament the shortsightedness of present day administrators and planners.
Thus this is to express our utter disappointment on the 'old wine in old bottle' approach (as reported in the media) being pursued with respect to tackling the river issue with respect to river Ganga under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) dispensation which when first came into being under you Chairmanship raised lots of hopes that now at least the river question would be addressed in a holistic manner. But alas !
Sir, we wonder as to when would our planners come to understand that the river 'problem' in our country is primarily not about its cleaning. And as long as we remain obsessed with cleaning of our rivers, more and more funds would be lost to implementing (or at least trying to) ineffectual prescriptions.
Sir, when we say basin level approach and treatment for our rivers, then we have an opportunity to think, plan and implement actions which are 'out of the box'.
These 'out of the box' questions include
a) What has happened to the 'flow' (the very basis of any river) in our rivers?
b) Can we take hard administrative (and not just judicial suggestions which have made little difference on the ground) decisions to ensure a minimum lean season environmental flows in all our rivers through a legislative action?
c) Why should waste water including sewage (originating from our towns and cities) even be permitted to drain into our rivers? The fact is that the first charge on waste water (except toxic industrial effluent) after treatment is to irrigate the farm lands and cool industrial processes and not to drain into water bodies and rivers. (Kindly recall that this was the only prescription which proved effective when Baba Balbir Singh and his followers went about successfully reviving the holy river Kali Bein in Punjab)
d) Why should our cities and industries not invest primarily and heavily in water 'recycling' (of whatever is available) and rain water harvest to meet their needs, rather look towards rivers near or even far away as their current or future source of water and draining away of their respective wastes?
e) Why is fresh water flowing in our rivers, although essential and life sustaining, being seen as an irrigation and industrial 'luxury' and its 'rationed' use by all the concerned not being promoted as a national goal?
f) Why is the ground water recharge role of our river systems not being appreciated enough?
g) Why our rivers as 'once upon a time' mode of cheap and easy transportation not being explored and promoted again?
h) Why is a river (including its flood plains) system not being seen as a unique ecosystem requiring urgent protection by law?
With the above as few of the critical questions we should then be investing primarily on
a) Catchment treatment / enrichment of our river basins to retain more and more of rain water that falls on them
b) Taking a policy decision to promote unfettered flow of rivers, by deciding that structures (dams, barrages, bridges, embankments etc) on the rivers shall be an exception and not a matter of rule. As a beginning let us at least agree on treating some of our rivers like river Chambal (and river Ganga and Yamuna tributaries in Uttarakhand and Himachal) as natural and protected against any additional harness
b) Creation of waste water diversion (away from rivers and natural water bodies), cleaning and supply infrastructure to meet primarily irrigation and industrial needs
c) Ensuring by law a minimum environmental flow round the year in all our rivers beginning river Ganga and all its tributaries (including Yamuna)
d) Ensuring by law the protection to the flood plains and all its flora and fauna of the river systems in the land
e) Making it obligatory on the part of city planners and industries to meet their water needs through recycling and rain water harvests.
f) Promotion of rivers as mode of in land transportation
Sir, we hope that our submissions made as above would be given due attention and found useful for ensuring the nation's long term environmental and water security. At the very least, please do not let the nation repeat the follies of Ganga and Yamuna Action Plans!
Warm regards,
Manoj Misra
Convener
Ganga clean-up gets Rs 1,394cr boost(Times of India- 06 March 2010)
TNN
NEW DELHI: In a boost to the Ganga cleaning programme, the government has cleared projects worth Rs 1,394.11 crore for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand.
While the Union government had allocated Rs 500 crore for the 2010-11 fiscal, the empowered steering committee committee of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) as part of the first phase of the project has provided Rs 800 crore to Uttar Pradesh, Rs 440 crore to Bihar, Rs 105 crore to West Bengal and Rs 45 crore to Uttarakhand.
The money will be spent by the states on projects that include development of sewer networks, sewage treatment plants and sewage pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets, development of river-fronts, resuscitation of canals, and public campaigns.
Union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh said, "In addition to these measures, we are negotiating a major loan of about US $1 billion with the World Bank for Ganga cleaning, which is progressing on track."
The first meeting of NGRBA was held on October 5, last year, with Prime Minsiter Manmohan Singh as chair at which it was decided that no untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluents would be allowed to flow into the Ganga by the year 2020.
In December 2009, the authority created the empowered steering committee with the environment and forests secretary as chair to sanction projects. The committee includes members representing other Union ministries, Central Pollution Control Board, Central Water Commission and the states concerned.
Ramesh said, "These measures signify the importance and urgency that we are placing on the river Ganga, which has such an important place in our culture, and which is so central to the livelihoods of millions of our people."
NEW DELHI: In a boost to the Ganga cleaning programme, the government has cleared projects worth Rs 1,394.11 crore for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand.
While the Union government had allocated Rs 500 crore for the 2010-11 fiscal, the empowered steering committee committee of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) as part of the first phase of the project has provided Rs 800 crore to Uttar Pradesh, Rs 440 crore to Bihar, Rs 105 crore to West Bengal and Rs 45 crore to Uttarakhand.
The money will be spent by the states on projects that include development of sewer networks, sewage treatment plants and sewage pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets, development of river-fronts, resuscitation of canals, and public campaigns.
Union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh said, "In addition to these measures, we are negotiating a major loan of about US $1 billion with the World Bank for Ganga cleaning, which is progressing on track."
The first meeting of NGRBA was held on October 5, last year, with Prime Minsiter Manmohan Singh as chair at which it was decided that no untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluents would be allowed to flow into the Ganga by the year 2020.
In December 2009, the authority created the empowered steering committee with the environment and forests secretary as chair to sanction projects. The committee includes members representing other Union ministries, Central Pollution Control Board, Central Water Commission and the states concerned.
Ramesh said, "These measures signify the importance and urgency that we are placing on the river Ganga, which has such an important place in our culture, and which is so central to the livelihoods of millions of our people."
Friday, March 5, 2010
Govt seeks Rs 833 cr more to clean Yamuna (Indian Express- 05 March 2010)
GEETA GUPTA
NEW DELHI :ACTION PLAN-III Talks on with Japanese agency for loan, say officials; Jal Board seeks more time to finish work on earlier plan
AFTER working towards cleaning e Yamuna since 1993 in two ases of the Yamuna Action Plan, a e government is now proposing i amuna Action Plan-III (YAPI), seeking a loan of Rs 833 crore t om the Japan International Co- k eration Agency (JICA).
Meanwhile, Delhi Jal Board JB) -- the implementing agency c r YAP in the river's 22-km stretch Delhi -- has received an exten on YAP-II. The earlier deadline for completion of YAP-II was ex- tended from November 2009 to March 2010.
Senior DJB officials said talks are already on with JICA, propos- ing another loan of Rs 833 crore for YAP-III, which officials said would take at least another two years to kick off.
DJB Additional CEO Santosh Vaidya told Newsline: “While some cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana also fall under YAP-II, major implementation works were to be done by Delhi. The Ministry
f Environment and Forests and 20 apan International Cooperation agency have now agreed to extend the term of YAP-II till March Under YAP-II, the DJB had ken up projects under three vive the ‘dead’ river. The projects included rehabilitation of trunk sewers — Ring Road sewer, Bela Road sewer and Wazirabad Road sewer tap- ping the 13 major drains of Delhi — as well as rehabilita- tion and augmentation of the treatment capacity of the two sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Keshopur and Okhla.
Vaidya said: “As the Okhla STP takes the sewage load of entire South Delhi, we have also increased its treatment capacity from 140
GD to 170 MGD. The 72-MGD R eshopur STP has been completely pr efurbished to take the entire m ewage load of North and North- ta est Delhi. We are now comfort- te ble with the extended deadline to tr nish all works under YAP-II." o While initial estimates pegged is he cost of projects in Delhi at Rs ca 87.17 crore, delays in various pro- ic cts have increased it to Rs 450 te rore. "The increased cost is being u orne by DJB," Vaidya said. "We ave only got an extension of N enure for completing the works." fr Ramesh Negi said YAP-III would propose to build new sewage treat- ment plants in the city and rehabili- tate the existing ones with better technology. “After rehabilitation of trunk sewers is done under YAP-II, our future proposal under YAP-III is to increase our sewage treatment capacity that would take the biolog- ical oxygen demand (BOD) in wa- ter from the present 20 units to 5 units in future,” Negi said.
With the present BOD levels, Negi said, the water discharged from STPs into the river can only be used for irrigation. “With the
NEW DELHI :ACTION PLAN-III Talks on with Japanese agency for loan, say officials; Jal Board seeks more time to finish work on earlier plan
AFTER working towards cleaning e Yamuna since 1993 in two ases of the Yamuna Action Plan, a e government is now proposing i amuna Action Plan-III (YAPI), seeking a loan of Rs 833 crore t om the Japan International Co- k eration Agency (JICA).
Meanwhile, Delhi Jal Board JB) -- the implementing agency c r YAP in the river's 22-km stretch Delhi -- has received an exten on YAP-II. The earlier deadline for completion of YAP-II was ex- tended from November 2009 to March 2010.
Senior DJB officials said talks are already on with JICA, propos- ing another loan of Rs 833 crore for YAP-III, which officials said would take at least another two years to kick off.
DJB Additional CEO Santosh Vaidya told Newsline: “While some cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana also fall under YAP-II, major implementation works were to be done by Delhi. The Ministry
f Environment and Forests and 20 apan International Cooperation agency have now agreed to extend the term of YAP-II till March Under YAP-II, the DJB had ken up projects under three vive the ‘dead’ river. The projects included rehabilitation of trunk sewers — Ring Road sewer, Bela Road sewer and Wazirabad Road sewer tap- ping the 13 major drains of Delhi — as well as rehabilita- tion and augmentation of the treatment capacity of the two sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Keshopur and Okhla.
Vaidya said: “As the Okhla STP takes the sewage load of entire South Delhi, we have also increased its treatment capacity from 140
GD to 170 MGD. The 72-MGD R eshopur STP has been completely pr efurbished to take the entire m ewage load of North and North- ta est Delhi. We are now comfort- te ble with the extended deadline to tr nish all works under YAP-II." o While initial estimates pegged is he cost of projects in Delhi at Rs ca 87.17 crore, delays in various pro- ic cts have increased it to Rs 450 te rore. "The increased cost is being u orne by DJB," Vaidya said. "We ave only got an extension of N enure for completing the works." fr Ramesh Negi said YAP-III would propose to build new sewage treat- ment plants in the city and rehabili- tate the existing ones with better technology. “After rehabilitation of trunk sewers is done under YAP-II, our future proposal under YAP-III is to increase our sewage treatment capacity that would take the biolog- ical oxygen demand (BOD) in wa- ter from the present 20 units to 5 units in future,” Negi said.
With the present BOD levels, Negi said, the water discharged from STPs into the river can only be used for irrigation. “With the
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