Entire stretch of river Ganga in West Bengal unfit for bathing: NGT
New Delhi, Feb 28: The entire stretch of the Ganga in West Bengal contains high faecal coliform making the water unfit for bathing, the National Green Tribunal has observed, warning the authorities concerned of imposing a fine unless there was progress in tackling the pollution.
The tribunal underlined that 258.67 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage was directly flowing into the river.
The NGT was hearing a matter involving prevention, control and reduction of pollution of the Ganga across each district and state through which the river or its tributaries flow.
It was considering a report from West Bengal, submitted in pursuance of its earlier directions.
A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that reports were filed by the District Magistrates (DM) of North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Hooghly, Purba Burdhaman, Howrah, Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas.
"On perusal of these reports, we, in general, find that no adequate facilities for treatment of sewage generated per day have been set up and that even the timeline for achieving the target of 100 per cent treatment of sewage has not been disclosed," the bench, also comprising judicial member Sudhir Agarwal and expert members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, said.
In an order passed on February 21, the bench said, it was "surprising " that not even a single Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was set up in some districts like Purba Medinipur.
"The condition which has been reflected in these reports is far from satisfactory and shows that 258.67 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage is directly flowing in river Ganga in the state of West Bengal," it said.
The green panel directed the DMs of nine districts, through where the river's mainstream flowed, to file affidavits setting a deadline for achieving the target of 100 per cent treatment of sewage generated every day.
The DMs also have to disclose the manner and extent of utilisation of funds received from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), besides steps taken for demarcation of floodplains in their districts, the tribunal said.
"We also find that the entire stretch of river Ganga in West Bengal contains high faecal coliform making the water unfit for bathing and thereby not meeting primary water quality criteria," it said.
The tribunal directed the NMCG to carry out a performance audit of each of the districts on generation and treatment of waste and the extent of pollution each was causing in the river.
"We do not find any progress in the reduction of discharge of pollutants to River Ganga in any of the districts. Therefore, if in the next report, sufficient progress is not shown then the tribunal may not have any option but to impose Environmental Compensation (EC)," the tribunal said.
It ordered the DMs concerned and the NMCG to file fresh reports within eight weeks and posted the matter for further proceedings on May 2.
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Nine dead as fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people belonging to two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors.
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"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," the DFS officer said.
Those found dead on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.
On the third floor, three members of a family were found dead. They were identified as Nitin Jain (50), wife Shailey Jain (48) and son Samyak Jain (25).
On the first floor a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.
A senior police officer said, "Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital."
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. Efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
