Excerpts:
GHAZIABAD: A National Green Tribunal-appointed committee on solid waste management has said that “35-40%” people residing around the Hindon may be inflicted with various water-borne diseases as untreated waste is being allowed to flow into the river.
The committee, which recently surveyed Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Nodia, has dubbed the Hindon a “dead river” that has a dissolved oxygen level of almost zero…
… City-based environmentalist Sushil Raghav said that in July last year, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had carried out a survey to ascertain the level of groundwater and surface water contamination around the Hindon.
“Groundwater samples were analysed for parameters such as fluoride, sulphate, oil and grease and heavy metals. The report revealed that 93 of 168 groundwater sampling locations in Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Shamli are contaminated with one or more parameters and exceeded BIS drinking water specifications,” said Raghav. “What the committee is saying is nothing new, but despite such damning report and observations, no one is really interested in the river,” he added.
Hindon, also known as Harnadi, is a rain-fed river that originates from Saharanpur and flows through Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat and Ghaziabad before emptying into the Yamuna.
Due to the high levels of pollution, Hindon has earned the status of “dead river” and its water declared “unfit” even for bathing.
*Original article online at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/hindon-polluted-40-living-near-it-infected/articleshow/69833498.cms