NGT: Musi, the most polluted river in Telangana

Hyderabad: A recently released report by the National Green Tribunal stated that Musi is the most polluted river in Telangana.

The report also tagged Nagole as the most polluted location. As per a report on polluted stretches by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board, high levels of coliform were discovered in the river, along with imbalanced levels of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and biological oxygen demand (BOD).

The National Green Tribunal monitored the Musi, Godavari, Krishna, Manjeera, Maneru, and Kinnersani using 26 different locations and eight parameters. These included DO, pH, conductivity, BOD, total coliform, free ammonia, boron, and SAR (Sodium Adsorption Ratio). The survey was conducted between January to June 2022.

Apart from these, eight stretches including Hyderabad to Nalgonda (Krishna, Musi), Gowdicherla to Nakkavagu (Manjeera), Gandilachapet to Sevalal Thanda (Nakkavagu), Palvancha (Kinnersani), Warangal to Somanpally (Maneru), Basara to Khammam (Godavari), Thangadi to Wadapally (Krishna).

From the 26 locations surveyed, Nagole recorded the highest levels of pollutants with a BOD of 18 mg per litre, low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of 0.3 mg/l, coliform levels of 1600 mpn/100 ml, and conductivity of 1,395 millisiemens/centimeter (mS/cm), indicating that the water is unfit for human and animal consumption.

BOD is the amount of Oxygen required to extract waste organic matter from the water. It is present in living organisms. Conductivity is the ability of the water to pass through electric current. Coliform denotes the level of disease-carrying organisms in the water.

On the contrary, the Mancherial-Kothagudem stretch was a linear bed hotspot of pollution in the Godavari due to mining activities. Similarly, Karimnagar, was also a climate hotspot due to mining activities. The mining belts in Godavari and Musi were high radiation temperature zones, which influenced climate change by making the region more prone to cloudbursts in the long run.