There are 12 "hot spots" in eight States where river water was found to be contaminated. In the first ever report of its kind, the Central Water Commission (CWC) monitored water quality at 371 stations in river systems across the country and identified stretches that need urgent Government action. It found that river water in these "hot-spots" was not fit for drinking purposes, irrigation, outdoor bathing and propagation of wildlife, fisheries.
The recent report "Water Quality hot-spots in the Rivers of India", based on the average values observed during the past 10 years at CWC's monitoring stations, measured the quality of water on parameters set by the Bureau of Indian Standards, such as the presence of pH, chloride, fluoride, arsenic, calcium, magnesium, iron etc. It covered all major river systems such as Indus, Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Tapti, Brahmaputra, Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery and Mahanadi.
"A lot of effluent and sewage is being generated, for a major portion of which there are no effluent treatments. This has resulted in discharge of this sewage into the rivers untreated or only partially treated. Besides this rampant use of fertilisers and pesticides, open defecation, lack of solid waste management practices also contributes to surface water pollution," Mr A.J. Bajaj, Chairman ,CWC, said in his foreword to the report.
The States where river stretches were found to have high values of pH above the prescribed limit of 8.5 are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. (pH is the measurement of hydrogen ion concentration in water). Though higher pH in water was not found to have any direct affect on human health, the water treatment for removal of viruses, bacteria and other harmful organisms can have an indirect effect on health, says the report.
pH value was the highest in Gummanur water quality station in Ponniyar river in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu. The Elunuthimangalam station in Erode, Noyyal river basin in Tamil Nadu contained high magnesium concentration of above 100 mg, much above the prescribed limit. High flouride concentration was found in 15 stretches, with the highest in Thimmanahalli, Hassan in Yagachi river basin, Karnataka.
On the upside, nitrate and arsenic were found within permissible limits in all the 371 stations that were monitored.