Cauvery Clean up After Ganga: Govt

The New Indian Express , Saturday, November 29, 2014
Correspondent : Pradeep Kumar
CHENNAI: Now that the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious Ganga clean up project — Namaami Gange — is underway, the focus may well shift southward very soon, according to Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

“After we clean the Ganga, we are heading south to clean up the Cauvery. Then, Godavari and so on,” he said.

The minister, who was in the city for a private function, said “Indiscriminate use of water resources and unmonitored discharge of industrial effluents are the predominant reasons behind the pollution of water bodies. Cauvery suffers from the same fate.”

Agricultural and industrial units located on the banks of the Cauvery, which is 770 km long, are its main pollutants, while sewage outlets from residential areas also empty into the river.

Industries such as water-intensive textile and sugar factories, paper mills and tanneries empty more than 87,500 cubic metres of waste water directly into the river, according to a study.

Javadekar highlighted that the Centre is fighting to curb the use of plastic, while it is common knowledge that plastic waste also contributes significantly to Cauvery’s pollution.

Technical experts maintain that increasing plastic concentration in Cauvery is resulting in the formation of estrogens, which can cause infertility in humans. Besides, concentration of heavy metals such as iron, zinc, lead, copper, chromium etc has been found in samples of the river water, lending credence to Javadekar’s argument that the Cauvery needs to be cleaned.

Both the Cauvery and Ganga have similarities in that devotees believe these rivers possess mythical attributes that can wash away their sins. Devotees taking a dip in the river also discard their clothes adding to the pollution. They throng the Cauvery especially on the aadi amavasai and maasi magam festivals.

Javadekar said the Namaami Gange project is progressing steadily with the Centre receiving an offer for expert help from Israel.

He also said that the Centre is looking to cut cost on coal imports by improving the quality of domestic mining. He said reckless mining activities need to end and that adopting scientific techniques may improve the quality.

Meanwhile, State Water Resources Management Agency director S S Rajagopal said the first phase of the Cauvery Modernisation Programme will be taken up by the next financial year. In the first phase, works to improve the Grand Anaicut canal command area are being proposed by the State.

 
SOURCE : http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/2014/11/30/Cauvery-Clean-up-After-Ganga-Govt/article2547954.ece
 


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