Page 134 - Built Expressions - Online Construction Magazine - November 2014 Issue

ganga Manthan Green Strokes organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga ganga Manthan during July 2014 revealed that sewage accounts for 95 % of river pollution in big cities such as Varanasi, Kanpur and Allahabad. Cleaning the Dark Waters of Ganga and Yamuna by A K Jain “When the water of the ganges and the water of the Yamuna mingle, it appears as though diamonds and sapphires were woven together in a string; as though a fock of white swans had suddenly run into another fock of black swans; as though a garland of white lotus buds were interspersed with blue lotuses; as though streaks of lightning had merged into a sheet of darkness; as though a clear blue sky was spotted with wooly clouds of autumn." Kalidas ecently, the Government of India has revived its efforts to rejuvenate and which lead to spread of life threatening clean the rivers Yamuna and Ganga. These rivers provide water to sustain bacteria and superbugs, were 60 times Rthe life, agriculture and industry and are also the nodes of religious and higher than the permissible norms as cultural congregations. 2510 km long river Ganga fows through 11 states and lakhs of visitors and pilgrims travel supports a population of 500 million. to Rishikesh and Haridwar during These rivers have critically become polluted and dirty, especially along the the summer. Encroachments and human settlements. River Ganga was ranked among the top fve most polluted construction in river bed, mining of rivers of the world in 2007, with faecal coliform levels in the river near Varanasi sand and water are other major issues, is more than 100 times the norms. One billion litres of raw, untreated sewage which have become rampant by the is estimated to fow daily into the river. In Uttar Pradesh out of 742 towns and underworld-politician nexus. cities, only 17 have sewage treatment plants (STP). As a result most of the sewage, The condition of River Yamuna estimated at 2900 million liters, fows into river. 10,000 dead bodies are thrown in Delhi is pathetic. In spite of huge into river each year, besides cremation of 40,000-50,000 bodies on its banks investments, plans and programmes and disposal of ashes of lakhs of the dead every year. The river stretch from taken up during last two decades, Kanpur to Kannauj is most polluted, mainly due to industries and tanneries. the river pollution is obstinately Ganga Manthan organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga during persistent. The river zone covering July 2014 revealed that sewage accounts for 95% of river pollution in big cities 9700 Ha in the midst of Delhi has such as Varanasi, Kanpur and Allahabad. Scientific studies of water samples been treated like the ‘free and vacant’, from the upper Ganga have revealed that the levels of resistance genes, land which has been used for power PG 134 Built Expressions Vol: 3 Issue: 11 November 2014