Meerut: Alarming
as it may sound but a recent study has revealed the presence of dangerously
high levels of heavy metals in Kali river (east). The study, conducted by NEER foundation, an NGO, found high levels of
lead and iron in the river water, which also lead to groundwater contamination.
The water samples were collected from villages to eight districts namely
Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Kaasganj, Farukhabad and
Kannauj. The villages are situated on the banks of the rivers.
The water
samples were later sent for testing at the Dehradun based People’s science
Institute (PSI). The findings revealed that high levels of metals could cause
groundwater contamination as several villages are located within 2-3 km radius
of the river.
If this
remains unchecked, it could lead to a public health crisis in future. Kali
river, a tributary of the Ganga, originates in Muzaffarnagar district and merges
with the Ganga in Kannauj district after passing through a stretch of more than
300 km. Elaborating on the findings, Anil Gautam of the PSI said, “It is an
irony that the tributary rivers of Ganga are extremely polluted. Their water
can not be used for irrigation purposes.”
Discussing
the issue, Raman Tyagi, director of NEER foundation, said, “On the one hand,
the central government is running campaigns such as ‘Namami Gange’ to make the
Ganga pollution free, but on the other, the government is least concerned about
its tributary rivers, which are being
badly polluted due to polluting units along rivers such as distilleries , sugar
mills and industries. Until the tributary rivers are not made pollution- free,
all efforts of ‘Namami Gange’ will be useless.”
Tyagi said
discussions with villagers and doctors of respective villages, from where the
water samples were collected, had also revealed that a large number of
villagers were suffering from stomach ailments, brain disorders and even cancer.
“doctors
revealed that a large number of people had died due to cancer owing to ground
water contamination but the same not been reported by the health department,”
added Tyagi.
The
Permissible Limits :
·
According to Indian standard is ;pH( 6.5- 8.5 ),
Total Dissolved solids (500 mg/L), lead (0.01 mg/L), iron (0.3 mg/L)
·
The study, conducted by NEER foundation, an NGO,
found high levels of lead and iron in the river water, which also contaminate
ground water.
Several people in the villages are suffering
from stomach ailments, brain disorders and even cancer. Despite this, the issue
has not been reported by the health department.
