Jajpur: It has been five years since the Orissa High Court directed the state government to oversee the establishment of common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) by the industrial units operating on the banks of Brahmani river but the order is yet to be implemented, a report said.
As a result, the water of Brahmani continues to turn toxic with the effluents discharged by the industrial units. The units in Kalinganagar discharge the effluents in the river through a stream named Ganda nullah and the mines in Sukinda valley through the Damsala nullah. The industrial units and mines have not only violated the high court order but also the orders of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal in this regard.
Moreover, effluents from industrial units in Angul and Rourkela which are on the upper catchment area of the river also flow into the river.
Things have come to such a pass that the river water has become unfit for human consumption and impacted the lives and livelihood of people residing in riparian villages of Korei, Rasulpur, Jajpur, Binjharpur and Bari blocks.
The Brahmani originates from the confluence of Koel and Sankha rivers at Panposh near Rourkela in Sundargargh district. This river flows through Sundargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Cuttack, Jajpur and Kendrapara districts before finally merging in the Bay of Bengal at Dhamra in Chandbali of Bhadrak district.
The river divides itself into two as Brahmani and Kharasrota at Jenapur in Jajpur district.
The river water pollution has resulted in several agitations by the people and a PIL was filed in the high court. Hearing the PIL, the court issued notices to the state chief secretary and secretaries of industry, mines, water resources, forest and environment departments, chairpersons of state and central pollution control boards as well as the collectors of Jharsuguda, Jajpur, Keonjhar and the ADM of Talcher. The high court also directed the authorities concerned to free Brahmani of pollution by installing CETPs on demarcated areas on the riverbank. However, none implemented the order.
Later, water samples of the river were collected from various parts of the river and Ganda nullah December 29, 2015 and a test was conducted December 31, the same year.
The result of the examination was horrifying as highly toxic chemicals like cyanide and phenolic compound were found in the water.
The National Green Tribunal also directed the authorities to form a five-member committee under the chairmanship of the forest and environment secretary and prepare an action plan to tackle the river water pollution. The CPCB had then directed the SPCB to form a five-member committee but the order is yet to be implemented.
When contacted, Pramod Kumar Behera, regional officer, SPCB, said action is being taken as per the orders of the higher-ups. He will take steps on CETPs on receiving order from the higher-ups, Behera added.
