Skip to main content

Failure to monitor solid waste discharged into Ahmedabad canal despite HC orders, CAG reports

 
An Ahmedabad-based environmental group, Paryavaran Mitra, has alleged that despite "efforts" of the Gujarat to clean up Ahmedabad's highly polluted 20 km city stretch of the 80-km long Kharicut Canal -- constructed by the Britishers more than 100 years ago in order to provide irrigation support to 10,200 hectares in Daskroi taluka of Ahmedabad district and Mahemdavad taluka of Kheda district -- things are unlikely to improve.
In a presentation, a copy of which was forwarded to Counterview on the occasion of the World Environment Day, June 5, the environmental group's Mahesh Pandya said, despite two landmark judgments by the High Court, its directions/orders have not being complied with, and there have been blatant violations of law and pollution norms by industrial units in the surrounding areas.
Pointing out that the Kharicut canal, which passes through the eastern industrial and densely populated areas, carries sewage and solid waste of the nearby colonies and untreated waste from industries, the environmental NGO said, no doubt, in May 2018, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) removed 30,000 tons of garbage from the canal, collected over the years, yet there is lack of proper monitoring and cleaning.
AMC has installed 104 CCTVs on 53 locations, which has not serve the purpose and didn’t bring much difference, the NGO contended, adding, the root cause of poor condition of Kharicut canal is the poor performance of the AMC. Thus, there is no timely collection of garbage, nor is there any effort to disconnect the illegal drainage lines laid by citizens and industries into the canal, it added.
Pointing out that government is giving "airy hopes" that the Kharicut canal would be turned into a six-lane road, the NGO said, way back in August 2010 also the state government decided to cover the canal by planning to invest Rs 65 crore to strengthen the canal lining, even as covering the canal by having eight major parks and gardens atop, but none of this happened.
Suggesting that the problem is linked with the way the Gujarat government approaches pollution, the presentation quoted a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, submitted in 2011, which stated that none of the Central Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) discharged treated effluent as per norms of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB).
The CAG report of 2015 again that observed that CETPs were not adhering to outlet norms in discharging effluents, non-disposal of hazardous waste, leading to the pollution of natural water bodies, into which these effluents were being discharged, polluting the ground water as well as soil of the surrounding areas. The monitoring mechanism of GPCB was ineffective, it added.
Then, said the NGO, the CAG report of 2017 said that out of 159, 96 municipalities did not have any proper sewage system, thus solid waste gets accumulated in pits and holes and further spoils crops and contaminates ground water as well as surface water sources. None of the municipalities of the state has technology to purify the contaminated water, it added.
The presentation said, the Water Act 1974, Article 24, prohibits discharge of solid waste into the streams, wells and on land. The solid waste should first get purified and then discharged into the main channel. The principles and rules of the GPCB, too, are quite clear about this. In fact, said the NGO, solid waste should be 100% purified before the final discharge, and 20% of that water should get reused. But these norms are never followed.

Comments

TRENDING

A sector under siege? War and real estate: Navigating uncertainty in India's expanding market

I was a little surprised when I received an email alert from a top real estate consultant, Anarock Group , titled "Exploring War’s Effects on Indian Real Estate—When Conflict Meets Concrete," authored by its regional director and head of research, Dr. Prashant Thakur. I had thought that the business would wholeheartedly support what is considered a strong response to the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor. 

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Ahmedabad's civic chaos: Drainage woes, waterlogging, and the illusion of Olympic dreams

In response to my blog on overflowing gutter lines at several spots in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur, a heavily populated area, a close acquaintance informed me that it's not just the middle-class housing societies that are affected by the nuisance. Preeti Das, who lives in a posh locality in what is fashionably called the SoBo area, tells me, "Things are worse in our society, Applewood."

When Pakistanis whispered: ‘end military rule’ — A Moscow memoir

During the recent anti-terror operation inside Pakistan by the Government of India, called Operation Sindoor — a name some feminists consider patently patriarchal, even though it’s officially described as a tribute to the wives of the 26 husbands killed in the terrorist strike — I was reminded of my Moscow stint, which lasted for seven long years, from 1986 to 1993.

Environmental concern? Global NGO leads campaign urging banks to cut ties with Odisha steel project

A decade after the withdrawal of the South Korean multinational POSCO from Odisha following large-scale protests, questions remain about whether India-based JSW Steel, which took over the project, can successfully revive the 13.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) steel plant and coal-fired power plant. POSCO initiated the project in 2005 but exited in 2017 due to sustained local opposition.

Adani Group a key player in Indo-Israel defence cooperation: Tel Aviv daily

Said to be one of the most influential Israeli dailies, "Haaretz" (literally: News of the Land) has identified the Adani Group—known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi—as one of the key Indian business houses engaged in defence cooperation with Israel. Pointing out that India supplied the Israeli military with Hermes 900 drones, the daily reported that this advanced aerial vehicle came off “the production line in a factory set up in Hyderabad, as part of the cooperation between the Israeli Elbit and India's Adani Group.”

Despite Hindutva hold claim, 18% Hindus in US don't want to be identified with Hinduism!

Scanning through news items on the Google News app on my mobile — which is what I do almost every morning — I came across a story published on India.com, which I found somewhat misleading. The headline said, "Muslim population drops significantly in THIS country as over 25% Muslims leave Islam due to…, the country is…"

Beyond Indus water treaty suspension: A 'nationalist' push despite harsh climate realities

The suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) appears to have pushed the middle classes, at least in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, Gujarat, further towards what the powers-that-be would consider—a "positive" direction. As usual, during my morning walk, I tried talking with a neighbour about what impact it would have. Ignoring what is widely considered a "security lapse," this person, who had just returned after buying milk, compared the Modi move with Trump.