Online published on 19 September, 2014.
Pollution in Indian riverswaste waters is causing serious concerns. A close examination of the cause of pollution in indian rivers shows that disposal of waste waters from urban waste waters along with disposal of waste waters from large industry, areamong the major contributors. In Ganga-Yamuna river basins, releases of waste waters from both and point and nonpoint sources, non-availability of electricity for operating urban treatmentplants and need for protecting quality of waters to a level, where the this is safe for contact use even in low flow river flow water season, is not being achieved. NEERI, river water conservation Directorate of Ministry of EF and several misions have worked on the plans but wilh limited success. Poluution of rivers can be seen even in Tamil Nadu, where industralisation has taken place.
Rivers in India are largely monsoon -fed, experience low flows or no-flows characteristics. There are no dams earmarked for flushingout polluted and stagnant pools of water in rivers. This situation is unlike the one which prevails in China, where rivers are glacier-snow-monsoon fed, carry abundant waters throught the year, even in low flow seaons. Unless solution to controllong pollution levels is found, urbanisation or industralisation programme will have to be limited to geographical locations where surplus water is available for flushing. This safeguards will need to be built in despite enforcement of pollution control regulations.
