Ghaziabad: “Amere glance at the river is enough to tell the story,” Ratnesh Tiwari of Chhath Manch told TOI,referring to the pollution in Hindon river. Tiwari’s refrain came ahead of Chhath puja, with thousands of devotees expected to take a dip in Hindon river on Sunday and Monday.According to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) data, average pollutants at three sampling stations in Ghaziabad are at an all-time high. On Oct 8, UPPCB analysed water samples of the river at three spots in Ghaziabad: Karhera, Hindon Bridge and Chhijarshi. At all these stations, the average water quality came under the ‘Below-E’ category, which means that the water is contaminated to the extent that it is “not even fit for animal bathing”, said Abhisht Kusum Gupta, who filed a petition in NGT over Hindon pollution. “How does one expect to perform puja in such pollution? It is dangerous to venture in polluted river of Hindon river,” Gupta said.On various parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total coliform and faecal coliform, the river was found to be in excess of the desired limit. The water samples of the three spots threw the following results: Karhera station: faecal coliform, 280,000 MPN/100ml, against the standard limit for total coliform of 1,000 MPN/100ml; total coliform, 350,000 MPN/100ml; Hindon Bridge station: faecal coliform, 340,000 MPN/100ml; total coliform, 390,000 MPN/100ml; and Chhijarshi station: faecal coliform, 270,000 MPN/100ml; total coliform, 340,000 MPN/100ml.According to CPCB, 500 MPN/100 ml or less total coliform in water is considered fit for outdoor bathing. Total coliform is a large group of different kinds of bacteria and faecal coliforms are types of total coliform that mostly exist in faeces. If consumed, it can lead to severe stomach-related ailments. Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Karhera for the same time period was recorded at 30 mg/L; at Hindon Bridge it was 34 mg/L; and at Chhijarshi it was 36 mg/L.UP Irrigation department will release 1,000 cusecs of water in Hindon river to dilute the effect of pollution ahead of Chhath. “To wash away pollutants and maintain water level in Hindon, the UP Irrigation department will divert 1000 cusecs of water in the river from Upper Ganga Canal. The water is expected to reach the river by Thursday midnight,” said an official from UP Irrigation department. “These temporary measures are not good to restore health of the river and the idea that it will dilute pollutants is in itself flawed when it comes to heavy metals and chemical industrial effluent wastes that are dumped in the river. These pollutants will anyway remain in the river water,” Gupta, the petitioner, added.GMC, on the other hand, is preparing 78 temporary Chhath Ghats. “Apart from about 1km of Chhath Ghat that is being readied on the banks of Hindon river near Hindon elevated road (Ram Setu), there are 78 spots across the city where ghats are being prepared. The preparation includes digging temporary ponds at parks and near the river and by Saturday preparations will be made,” said mayor Sunita Dayal. GDA in its Koyal enclave is also constructing at least three ponds for the occasion at an estimated cost of Rs 1.2 crore.“The ghats are yet not ready and it is highly unlikely that it will be readied on time because the festival will kickstart from Friday itself. The entire stretch of the river is in bad shape and despite assurances, we have same problem year after year,” Tiwari of Chhath Manch added.
