New Delhi: The Central Pollution Control Board has identified seven critically polluted rivers stretch in Himachal Pradesh.
Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria in Lok Sabha today said that the Central Pollution Control Board report has identified 351 polluted river stretches on 323 rivers. The result was based on monitoring results in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand levels, an indicator of organic pollution.
In its report seven rivers viz. Sukhana, Markanda, Sirsa, Ashwani, Beas, Giri and Pabbar in Himachal were found critically polluted.
Sukhana river flow in Parwanoo, Sirsa rivers in Baddi, Markanda river in Kala Amb, Beas River drenches Kullu, Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra districts. Giri river originates from Shimla district and passes through Sirmour district before flowing into Beta and later merged with Yamuna river. Ashwani Khud, notorious for the Jaundice outbreak in Shimla and Solan city, flow into the Giri River, while the Pabbar river flows through Rohru and Hatkoti town of the Shimla district.
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Central Pollution Control Board in collaboration with the State Pollution Control Boards are monitoring the water quality of rivers and other water bodies in the country through a network of monitoring stations under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme. Meanwhile, the State Pollution Control Board has already initiated a plantation drive to improve the water quality of the Sukhana, Markanda and Sirsa river stretches in 2019.
