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Haryana takes up Yamuna pollution issue with Delhi, U.P.

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Government has taken up the issue of Yamuna pollution with the Chief Ministers of neighbouring Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. And this being an inter-State pollution problem, it has also impressed upon the Central Pollution Control Board to direct these two States to control the pollution in the river.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Haryana Minister of State for Environment and Forests Kiran Choudhry said that she had written to both U.P. Chief Minister Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit urging them take effective steps to control pollution in the Yamuna in their respective territories.

She asserted that 21 drains of Delhi and one drain of U.P. carry untreated or partially treated effluent into the Yamuna. The quality of Agra and Gurgaon canals was badly affected because of this pollution caused by Delhi and U.P., she complained.

She disclosed that the Haryana State Pollution Control Board was monitoring the quality of water in the river by regularly taking samples of its own and periodically jointly with the Central Pollution Control Board.

The Haryana Government was conscious about its commitment for clean environment in the State and had taken effective measures to control pollution in the Yamuna, she said. The quality of the river at Palla village on the Haryana-Delhi border was very good since the BOD level was well within the permissible limits which ranged from 1.44 to 2.76 mg per litre against the permissible limit of 3 mg per litre.

Stating that the Central Pollution Control Board had recommended that the waste of plastic carry bags could be used for carpeting and construction of roads, she said that technical know- how to construct road by using five to 10 per cent of waste plastic had been suggested to the Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works (Building and Roads). She hoped that the PWD would use plastic waste in construction and carpeting of roads. This would not only ensure a clean environment but also lend some strength and durability to roads besides reducing the cost of bitumen.

Ms. Choudhry said that to chalk out a comprehensive policy for management of bio-medical waste, the Pollution Control Board has convened a meeting of all Chief Medical Officers, Director-General Health Service, Haryana, and also invited the Directors of PGIMER Chandigarh, Government Medical Hospital, Sector-32, Chandigarh, and PGIMES, Rohtak, in the first week of June.

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