DP-Index-dec07-lead5
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A section of
DOCPOST which is an
extract, executive
summary, index
rolled into one.
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POLLUTION
Contamination
of Water
This
river Stinks In
India, rivers are worshipped, yet severely polluted. They nurture
cities, towns and communities, but end up receiving the filth and
waste generated by the same people who consider them sacred. The
Yamuna, which flows by Delhi, is no different. Despite numerous
efforts to clean it, it only seems to be getting filthier with every
passing year. Experts claim that the river is 'virtually dead' when
it reaches downstream with Delhi being responsible for 79 per cent of
the total pollution load.
by
Akash Bisht. Hard News. 01/12/2007
Bringing
life to our rivers
Taking
a leaf from the Mithi restoration plan, government has planned to
undertake a clean-up of 23 of the most polluted river stretches in
Maharashtra. Most of them are channels flowing through or along the
fringes of urban centres such as Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. They
include rivers considered among the most sacred and life-sustaining
in the region — the Godavari, Bhima and Krishna, which pass through
ancient pilgrim towns and have the most fertile deltas.
by
Sunil Nair. The Times of India. 13/12/2007
Twist
in the Mithi tale: Oxygen level on the rise
They
have spent more than Rs 250 crore to clean up the 17-km stretch,
scooped out over two lakh cubic metres of silt from the riverbed, and
blasted away an equal volume of rock. Nearly a thousand commercial
units including scrapyards and fuel recycling workshops spewing toxic
waste into the stream were shifted. Now finally after all the
dredging, desilting and demolishing, the gains from an unprecedented
river clean-up project in Maharashtra are beginning to show.
According to data collected by testing water samples through the
April 2005-October 2007 period, pollution levels in the Mithi have
dipped significantly, touching a new low in October 2007.
by
Sunil Nair. The Times of India. 13/12/2007
Not
a drop to drink
People
in 12 districts of Bihar are grappling with an unusual enemy: water.
Thousands who depend on underground water from local wells or gushing
from hand pumps have now been told that what they drink could in fact
be poison.
High
levels of arsenic have been found in the underground water across the
state. Arsenic is a toxin that dissolves in the bloodstream,
rendering the victim susceptible to diseases of the skin, bones and
also cancer of the liver, kidney, gall baldder and the intestines.
The
killer deposit
*
Researchers
believe rivers originating from the Himalayas carry
sediments that are rich in arsenic. The metalloid
seeps into the groundwater along the rivers’
trajectory.
*
Other reasons
behind arsenic poisoning include oxidation and
excessive withdrawal of groundwater.
*
The best way
to mitigate the poisoning is by creating awareness
among people and using alternative sources of water.
by
Amitabh Srivastava. India Today. 17/12/2007
