Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
ANNEXURE 2
IMPACT OF POLLUTION ON RIVERS
Cdr. S. Lakshmanan Iyer (Retd.) 1
ABSTRACT
Within the next one to two decades, water problems in India may constitute a
greater crisis than is fathomable today. One factor that needs to be considered
consciously is that there is no known resource substitute for water in satisfying
the direct living demands of the population. This essentially means we must learn
how to live with existing water supply endowments by managing water in terms
of its use, development and conservation. India is arguably the oldest civilization
nourished sumptuously for hundreds of centuries by the great endowments of
Mother Nature, our Great Rivers. The exemplary evolutionary development seen
today after these hundreds of centuries is certainly attributed to our rivers. This
chapter focuses on one of the key factors that threaten the very existence of these
wonderful rivers – pollution.
The National Water Monitoring Programme has identified that 275 rivers out of
445 rivers in the country are polluted. The key causes of pollution in rivers are:
discharge of untreated / partially treated sewage and effluents; fertilisers and
pesticides from agricultural run-off; and septage (septic tank sludge) disposed of
into rivers.
Reusing treated wastewater instead of releasing them into rivers serves the
twin purpose of eliminating pollution in rivers coupled with partially meeting
the demand for water for non-potable and non-contact applications. Potential
applications are irrigation (both within cities and farmland adjoining cities),
flushing, road wash, car wash, construction, etc.
To ensure safe, good quality treated wastewater from centralised STPs (including
removal of residual toxic chemicals and pathogens) suitable for irrigation of
organic farms, the following measures are required:
A chemical-free tertiary treatment using natural systems, such as Soil
Biotechnology, is required to be added.
1
Director, Anantha Naturals Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore
Indian Rivers
297