Bhubaneswar: The state government has asked the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department to set up a technical committee to examine the pollution in Daya River. The panel will submit its report within 15 days.
This decision was taken at a meeting held under the Chairmanship of Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty here Tuesday. Mohanty said that water from drains and sewage lines in the city are discharged into the Gangua Canal. The water containing effluents from the Gangua Canal is flowing into the Daya River and polluting it.
It was decided at the meeting that awareness should be created among riverside villagers not to use the water, he said, adding, “Ponds will be dug in villages to meet the demand for water.”
The officials have been asked not to discharge waste and polluted water into the river, the minister pointed out. Besides, six sewage treatment plants are being constructed in the capital city to treat waste, he added.
The water, which is unfit for either drinking or bathing, contains high levels of coliform bacteria. During tests of water samples from the river, the state pollution control board (SPCB) found dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen beyond permissible limits. Coliform bacteria was also well above limit, making the river unfit for even bathing.
Thousands of people of Kanti in Pipli block, Harirajpur, Gotiputmatiapada, Rengala, Singhabrahmapur, Motari, Sauria and other panchayats of Delang block are dependent on the Daya River.
PNN
