Haryana aims to control pollution in rivers

Chandigarh: The Haryana government is ensuring laying of sewerage lines and construction of sewerage treatment plants to control the pollution level in rivers and to rejuvenate them.

Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, while reviewing the River Action Plan on Wednesday, directed the officers to lay sewer lines and ensure operation of sewerage treatment plants at the earliest.

He said water pollution will not be tolerated under any circumstances. It is the moral obligation of the officials to protect the canals and rivers from getting contaminated. He directed that there should be a complete ban on the release of water contaminated by various factors in the canals and rivers and keep a vigil.

An official statement quoting Kaushal said he directed the officers to submit an action plan in two weeks regarding setting up of sewerage treatment plant (STP) and common effluent treatment plant (CETP) under the Namami Gange programme.

The Chief Secretary said the work of increasing the sewerage capacity of the STP being built at Manesar should be monitored every week and report to the headquarters.

He directed the Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, for the CETP being constructed at Kundli in Sonipat to visit the site and hold a meeting with officers and get the work done by removing the difficulties in the work.

Kaushal said eight STPs of 61 MLD capacity are being built in the state for pollution control in the Ghaggar river and these will be completed by the next January. Similarly, 17 STPs of 380.5 MLD capacity are being built in the Yamuna catchment.

The Chief Secretary said there was a proposal to lay a 589-km long sewerage line in various cities in the Ghaggar catchment, out of which 544 km line has been laid.

The work of laying sewerage lines in three cities will also be completed by December. Similarly, 1,472 km of the line has been laid in the Yamuna catchment out of 1,652 km. The work of laying sewerage lines in the remaining six cities is also going on at a fast pace.

In the meeting, Haryana State Pollution Control Board Member Secretary S. Narayanan said three CETPs of 19 MLD capacity are being installed in the Yamuna catchment. By December, 2 CETPs will be operational.

He said 277 villages have been identified for making STP in the villages in the Yamuna catchment, in which the work of STP will start soon. Similarly, 45 villages have been identified in the Ghaggar catchment.