No monitoring system, pollution in water bodies remains unchecked in Faridabad

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, May 15

Officials have failed to set up an online monitoring system to keep a check on the pollution level in water bodies.

Samples collected by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) have revealed that the Yamuna and two irrigation canals passing through the city have been polluted and contaminated due to the high presence of Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Fecal Coliform bacteria. Frequent discharge of effluents into the water bodies are said to be the reason for the high pollution level.

Monitoring stations to be set up in Delhi

• The authorities have yet to come out with a state-of-art monitoring system to keep a tab on water pollution. Several stations have been announced in Delhi to keep a tab on the pollution level in waterbodies, while one such station has come up in Sonepat district.
• The Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the Yamuna has been found between 118 and 132 points, which is approximately 41 times higher than the desired value of 3 points, according to officials. The BOD is the amount of oxygen required by aquatic life and organisms in the water to survive.
• The level of Fecal Coliform in the river has been found between 4,100 and 6,000 Most Probable Numbers

River water polluted

An official said there is a need to upgrade the monitoring system to measure the pollutants. The system will help take corrective measures at an early stage, he added. Convener of the Save Yamuna Campaign Shiv Singh Rawat said the water in the Yamuna and other canals has been polluted and it has become a source of cancer in many areas.

The authorities have yet to come out with a state-of-art monitoring system to keep a tab on the water pollution. Several stations have been announced in Delhi to keep a tab on the pollution level in waterbodies, while one such station has come up in Sonepat district.

The BOD in the Yamuna has been found between 118 and 132 points, which is approximately 41 times higher than the desired value of 3 points, according to officials. The BOD is the amount of oxygen required by aquatic life and organisms in the water to survive. The higher the value, the greater is the demand for survival.

As the COD value has been found between 472 and 524 points, the TSS value ranges between 195 and 322 points, which is several times higher than the safe level. The level of Fecal Coliform in the river has been found between 4,100 and 6,000 Most Probable Numbers (MPNs) against the safe level of 500 to 2,500 MPNs. The Total Coliform (TC) value has been found between 50,000 and 94,000 MPNs.

The MPN is a technique to find the number of bacteria in a water or food sample. Such values in the canals have been lower, but these were higher than the standard parameters, according to a report of the HSPCB. The samples were taken from various spots, including Alipur, Basantpur and Budhiya Nala, in February this year.

“There is a need to upgrade the monitoring system to measure the pollutants. The system will help take corrective measures at an early stage,” said an official.

Convener of the Save Yamuna Campaign Shiv Singh Rawat said the water in the Yamuna and other canals has been polluted and it has become a source of cancer in many areas.

Sandeep Singh, regional officer, HSPCB, said samples are collected manually every month and a report in this regard is submitted to the authorities on a regular basis. The online system can be proved more effective in monitoring the pollution level, he added.