Ghaziabad, June 18 (KNN) The deteriorating quality of water of Hindon River in Western Uttar Pradesh has become a matter of grave concern today as many local residents living along the banks of the Hindon and its tributaries are consuming groundwater that has been contaminated by hazardous toxins.

Now the question arises is, who is responsible for this? According to the National Green Tribunal Committee report, which recently surveyed the area found that neither the industries nor the Government hospitals in Ghaziabad were adhering to environmental norms.

Illegal colonies that have mushroomed around water bodies are also major contributor in polluting the river, according to NGT.

Over this matter, KNN India spoke to Arun Kumar Aggarwal, an industrialist from Ghaziabad and Managing Director of Vimal Organics.

He said “Not only industries, every one of us is a polluter be it industries or individuals. There is not one of us who can’t be blamed for pollution.”

The waste from illegal colonies goes directly to the Hindon river as there is no sewage since they are illegal, Aggarwal pointed. He added “Illegal activities be it industrial or residential should be stopped by administration is the only solution for this.”

Indian Industries Association (IIA), Ghaziabad Chapter Chief, Pradeep Gupta said “More than industries administration is responsible for this.”

With regard to pollution in the Hindon, the committee has said that government agencies have turned a blind eye on illegal colonies that have mushroomed around waterbodies.

“We have issued directives to the administration of these three districts to initiate a demolition drive in the river catchment area,”  Rajendera Singh, General Secretary of the NGT committee reportedly said.

In Ghaziabad, the committee found that eight major drains namely Jwala drain, Arthala drain, Kaila Bhatta drain, Indirapuram drain, Dasna drain, Pratap Vihar drain, Karheda drain and Hindon Vihar drain were discharging untreated sewage in the Hindon.

“No STP/ETP has been connected to treat the entire sewage, in consequence thereof, the entire city of Ghaziabad is polluting river Hindon with untreated sewage,” the report said.

The team also noted that industries were not adhering to environmental norms.

“Of the 20-plus industries we inspected, except for Honda industry, no other industry meets the environmental norms. Even those industries that have installed STP/ETP often bypass their effluents and discharge it directly into drains, which ultimately find their way into the Hindon river,” said Singh, who added that a detailed report on the committee’s findings is being prepared and will be released shortly. (KNN/ YV)