Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has expressed grave concern over the release of highly polluted water into the Yamuna and the Gurugram canal during their passage through the national capital.
He urged his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal to look into the matter personally and to direct all departments concerned to ensure that no untreated or partially treated effluent is released into the Yamuna or the Gurugram canal.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Kejriwal, Mr. Khattar drew attention to the problem of severe pollution entering the Yamuna during its course through Delhi.
He said that Yamuna river travels a stretch of around 52 km in the NCT of Delhi. During this course, more than 60 drains, having partially treated or untreated effluents of industrial or domestic sources, outfall into it. This causes severe pollution of the river before it enters again in Haryana, he added.
Mr. Khattar highlighted that Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the river at Faridabad’s Basantpur village during July-December, 2018, has ranged from 45-46 mg per litre against the permissible limit of 3 mg per litre. The BOD in Gurugram canal, the only major source of irrigation water for the Mewat, ranged from 32-45 mg per litre during the same period. He said that the release of highly polluted water into the Yamuna and Gurugram canal severely affects the health many families in Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal and Nuh.
Besides, it also badly impacts agricultural productivity of the farmers in these districts, he added.
