The city unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded that the government take urgent steps to reduce the extent of pollution in Krishna river and its canals -- Bandar, Eluru and Ryves -- that pass through the city. People of hundreds of villages living along the river and the canal banks were suffering from various ailments due to water pollution caused by domestic sewage being let into the river.
“Of the 16 lakh gallons of waste water generated in the city every day, only five lakh gallons is being treated. The balance (11 lakh gallons) is entering irrigation canals and sources of drinking water. If the problem is not solved at the earliest, a major public health hazard will impose huge socio-economic costs,” said BJP city president D. Umamaheswara Raju.
Addressing media persons on Friday, Mr. Raju said stagnant waste water became breeding grounds for mosquitoes at many places after the canals were closed.
If the government did not take up cleaning, and construct a retaining wall, the river would be polluted beyond repair. Additional sewage treatment plants and underground drainage system were the need of the hour, he said.
Panel formed
Mr. Raju said the Central government had sanctioned Rs. 460 crore for laying underground drainage across Vijayawada and stressed the importance for an efficient waste management system in the upcoming capital city. “The BJP has constituted a six-member committee to take up the issue. It will help in solving the problem and get public interest petitions filed if the government does not address the concern with all seriousness it deserves,” he said.
Committee chairman V. Narendra, convener P. Rajasekhar and others spoke.
11 lakh gallons of untreated water is entering canals and sources of drinking water in the city, says BJP city president
