No dirty water will flow into Yamuna by December-end: NMCG official
New Delhi, Mar 13: No dirty water will be flowing into the Yamuna by December-end as all drains carrying sewage into the river will be tapped, a senior official said.
The over 1,300-km-long Yamuna is among the most polluted rivers in the country and also provides water to more than half of the national capital.
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Director General G Asok Kumar said there are 18 drains that deliver dirty water into the Yamuna, and plans are afoot to tap these drains and divert the dirty water to sewage treatment plants (STPs).
"Now that the sewage treatment plants are in place, we can divert the dirty water flowing into the river to these plants. The treated water which we get from the STPs can then be added to the river so that the flow of the river is also improved. So by December, no dirty water will be coming into the Yamuna river and its flow will also see improvement," he told PTI.
"We will try to ensure that there is bathing quality water in the Yamuna by then," he added.
Kumar said once dirty water stops flowing into the river, the next step will be to set a minimum flow of water in the Yamuna to have uninterrupted flow, which will ensure its cleanliness.
Just 2 per cent or 22 km of Yamuna falls in Delhi, but 98 per cent of pollution in the Yamuna comes from the national capital due to untreated or semi-treated industrial effluents or sewage that is being discharged into the river in the 22 km stretch.
According to estimates made by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi generates 3,800 million litres of sewage per day.
The official said NMCG is also looking into nonpoint sources of pollution in the Yamuna.
"We are also trying to find out about the nonpoint sources like the ones which also cause froth in the river. We are also trying to look at the dhobi ghats through which a lot of soap is coming into the water. We are trying to address those nonpoint sources too and see they do not add pollution to the river," he said.
Kumar added that the NMCG is starting NGYodha (Namami Gange Yamuna of Delhi area) that will focus on cleaning the Yamuna.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
