Online monitoring of water pollution levels takes off at Najafgarh drain
GURUGRAM: In a first, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has started online monitoring of pollution levels of the water in Najafgarh drain, the major source of potable water for the people of Gurugram.
For this, a Mumbai based private sector company PT Ecological Services has installed a cost-effective and zero-dependency device at the Gurugram portion of Najafgarh drain in sector 107 to record and monitor its pollution level in real-time.
For this, the state’s pollution watchdog Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) recently accorded the permission to this company to install its device at the surface level of the Najafgarh Drain. The data procured from this device is being shared with GMDA and HSPCB who would be analyzing the same for their future purposes.
Connected to Yamuna tributary, the Najafgarh drain one of the most polluted drains of the country as it has 63 effluent treatment plants (ETPs) and sewage treatment plants (STPs) that continue to throw treated and partially treated water into it round the clock. There are many instances when it has been found that many factories/plants illegally throw untreated effluents into the drain.
Conventionally, the state-run pollution control departments have been manually collecting water samples from the drains, rivers, and ponds 4-5 times weekly whereas the new device collects samples on an hourly basis from the water surface, and shares data online in the company server. The data so collected would assist the state agencies in chalking out a strategy to maintain the water quality levels by application of various methodologies, the company said.
The central government agencies have taken a mammoth step in cleaning the rivers and water bodies across India under the River Rejuvenation Project. This project is monitored by the central government under CPCB.
“Taking into consideration the seriousness of this project the Haryana Government under the Haryana Pollution Control Board (HPCB) has taken a step ahead with an Out of the Box Pilot Project. Hence, for the first time in India, they tied up with us. We have come up with a cost-effective and zero dependency device,” said Rohit Patole, Business Head, PT Ecological Services.
This device, 100% operational on solar, is kept floating in the middle of the water body, equipped with the online monitoring device installed within. This monitoring device is then connected to the server which displays the real-time pollution levels.
This floatable device doesn’t require any monitoring or any station for its safekeeping and has Zero maintenance. The results are 100% trustworthy as there is no Human Interference.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board standards, 3-5 Milligrams per liter is the value of Bio-logical/chemical Oxygen Demand for ideal drinking water, on an average.
“The number of polluted stretches of our country’s rivers has increased to 351 from 302 since 2017 with a recorded maximum value of BOD being 250mg/l according to an assessment of CPCB. As per the Asian Development Research Institute, It’s estimated that around 70% of surface water in India is unfit for consumption,” the company said in a written statement.
While quoting a report from ENVIS Centre for Hygiene and Sanitation, the company said everyday 38791 Million liters of untreated wastewater enters rivers and other water bodies, also each day only 60% of industrial wastewater is treated and led out to rivers, and yes the level of treatment of this 60% volume is poor and inconsistent.
Despite stringent pollution control norms made by CPCB and NGT, natural habitats still have prolonged sustenance of pollution problems. If considered only about water Quality of 49 rivers in Maharashtra at an instance, samples were measured at 156 locations and among them, 153 locations were found to be non-complying to the Water Quality Criteria with a maximum recorded value of BOD being 180mg/l.
