Gangetic dolphin in troubled waters

Faiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN May 13, 2010, 08.41pm IST

KANPUR: The National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah district which is a habitat of aquatic animals is in troubled water these days. Soaring temperature has led to acute water scarcity posing serious threat to aquatic animals, particularly to Gangetic dolphins. Found in 1979 and spread over 435-km, it is among the country's premier wildlife sanctuaries.
The Chambal river with ample depth was once considered a safe haven for aqua creatures to breed. Wildlife experts are a worried lot as the forest department has not yet come up with any initiative to save the Gangetic dolphin (Platenista Gangetica).

According to wildlife experts, the present number of dolphins is believed to be 94 as per a survey conducted in 2007-2008. "The sanctuary is facing an acute water shortage this summer," Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature, told TOI.
Due to the heatwave lashing the area, linked rivers like Yamuna, Sindh, Pahuj and Chambal are receding while other small reservoirs are also on the brink of drying up.
"In the absence of water, the most affected will be aquatic animals, particularly Gangetic dolphins. This aquatic animal needs water not only for drinking but also for playing and bathing. The government agencies should have tried to make better arrangements earlier so that the animals did not suffer. It is high time they should be conserved," Chauhan said further.
He said it was shocking that till date no measures had been adopted by the government to save the Gangetic dolphin even after it was declared the national aquatic animal early this year.
"The Gangetic dolphins found in the region are a rare specie. Earlier, it was found in the Ganga river basin and all the linked rivers. But, now their habitat is limited to only a few rivers. Brahmaputra, Ganges, Chambal rivers are its natural habitat. In these specific rivers, there must be around 2,000 to 2,500 dolphins," informed Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature further.
According to the forest department, besides providing a safe harbour to Gangetic dolphin, the 435-km stretch of the Chambal also boasts of crocodiles, smooth-coated otters, species of terrapins and turtles, Ghariyal, Chinkara, Sambar, Nilgai, Chital, Hyena, Wolf, Wild Boar, Bar-headed Goose, Brown Hawk Owl, Booted Eagle, Black-bellied Tern, River Tern, Black Ibis, Jungle Babbler, fishing cats and White Wagtail-to endless varieties of monkeys, reptiles including the python, and a profusion of 250 species of birds which includes the state bird Indian Sarus.
"Gangetic dolphins are the lifeline of Gangetic basin. If the dolphin number increases, it is a sign of pollution-free river. If the number decreases, it is a sign of increasing pollution in the river," informed Neeraj Kumar, deputy conservator of forest, National Chambal Sanctuary, Agra.
Not very long ago, a dead dolphin was recovered from the banks of Chambal in Etawah. The forest department officials said the dolphin had died due to heat, Dr Chauhan said. Though the forest department started a probe into the incident, the final conclusion was reached without proper investigations, he claimed.
Another wildlife enthusiast informed that Gangetic dolphins had been included in the Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, "thereby affording them the highest degree of protection".

Dredging, illegal fishing hurting dolphin numbers

Faiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN | May 17, 2013, 11.35 AM IST

KANPUR: A major stretch of Yamuna river between Panchnada and Sangam (Allahabad), considered a suitable habitat for highly endangered Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), today faces numerous problems.

Rampant use of giant-size dredgers to procure water for irrigation purposes besides illegal fishing, haphazard sand mining, is posing a serious threat to aquatic life particularly Gangetic Dolphin in Yamuna river in and around Hamirpur district. However, the authorities concerned are totally oblivious to the situation and yet to take action against those responsible.

River Yamuna is the largest tributary of river Ganges in northern India. Originating from Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres, it travels a total length of 1,376 kilometers (855 miles) and has a drainage area of 366,223 sq km (40.2% of the entire Ganges Basin),

before merging with the Ganga at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad.

Experts said the survey during monsoon registered maximum sightings of dolphins in river Yamuna between Panchnada in Etawah upto Sangam in Allahabad, approximately 400 kms stretch out of the total course of the river.

Environmentalists are worried over the rampant use of dredgers by the district irrigation department, which has led to acute water scarcity in the river, posing serious threat to aquatic animals, particularly the Gangetic Dolphin.

The major points where dredgers are being installed include Pathewara, Merapur and Gola Ka Dera areas.

Sitaram Taigor, project co-coordinator, PEACE Institute Charitable Trust, who works for the conservation of national aquatic animal in the region, told TOI that the extraction and diversion of water and fishing is disrupting the Yamuna's water flow, polluting and fragmenting its aquatic ecosystem.

Farmers are happy that they are getting enough water from the river through dredgers but the practice is killing the Gangetic Dolphin and other aquatic species. There are some points where one can easily walk across the knee-deep waters of the Yamuna. "Such type of activities will only reduce the water level of the river by another foot by the end of May," he said.

However, as per the findings, Gangetic Dolphin, India's national aquatic animal, need at least 266.42 m3/sec flow and 7m deep waters for its survival. "Such instances, wherein dolphins inadvertently reached shallow waters while chasing fish or got stuck on the banks in the sand-bed, are often reported in the region," he informed.

"It is high time the authorities should come forward to conserve this highly endangered aquatic animal," said another wildlife expert.

As April and May are considered as peak months for fishing, the local contractors hire professional fishermen from as far as Bihar and West Bengal for fishing in Yamuna river.

He said that using illegal and destructive techniques for fishing was endangering the aquatic life of the river. "A sighting of two adults and one juvenile Dolphins were recorded earlier at the confluence of Yamuna and Betwa rivers," he said.

Also, juvenile dolphins are particularly susceptible to getting trapped in fishing nets. During a survey conducted by volunteers of PEACE Institute Charitable Trust, a total number of 13 boats were observed in between Pathewara and Hamirpur stretch. A team of professional fishermen with 7 boats and sophisticated fishing nets were spotted near Raghopur village. Apart from trapping fishes, the fishermen entangle juvenile dolphins particularly in the breeding season i.e. between March and April months.

Beside these areas, there are dozen other secret locations where fishermen from Bihar and West Bengal reportedly erect their hutments every year from January till June on the banks of the river for fishing.

Teerath, a local told TOI that the techniques used by the fishermen are extremely brutal and they often kill juvenile dolphins particularly in the breeding season.

When asked whether the authorities were visiting the spots to bar fishermen from illegal fishing, he replied that none of the district officials have so far visited the area to fine those who are involved in this illegal activity. Meanwhile, concerned over the dwindling numbers of Gangetic dolphins, District Forest officer, Hamirpur DK Singh said, "The department has launched a concerted campaign to ensure protection of the aquatic animal. He urged people to apprise the department if they come across cases of fishing or poaching of dolphins."

============

The population of the endangered Gangetic Dolphin in India today is only about 2,000 individuals spread over the rivers of the Gangetic basin and the Brahmaputra river system.

Gangetic dolphins, India's national aquatic animal, are killed at an alarming rate by poachers for their flesh as well as oil, which is used as an ointment and considered an aphrodisiac. Their carcasses are regularly found on the river banks.

The Gangetic river dolphin is one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in the Yangtze river in China, the Indus river in Pakistan and the Amazon river in South America.

The mammal is covered under the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and has been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Turning waste into resource with Ecosan

Heavy metals in Delhi's drinking water

ByNeha Lalchandani, TNN | Mar 11, 2013, 12.17 AM IST
NEW DELHI: Delhi's drinking water is contaminated with tonnes of industrial waste. Industries located upstream of the Yamuna have been found to be discharging untreated waste into the river, leading to the presence of heavy metals in water that is picked up at Wazirabad to meet the city's drinking water needs.

Manoj Misra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan had water from the Dhanura Escape — a channel that empties into the Yamuna — tested at a laboratory in Gwalior and found that the levels of chromium, lead and iron were higher than permissible. "While chromium was 0.13 mg/l against 0.05 mg/l, lead was 0.035 mg/l against 0.01mg/l and iron was 3.51mg/l against a permissible 0.1 mg/l. The presence of heavy metals is even more problematic since the treatment plants in Delhi are not equipped to detect or treat them," said Misra.

Pollution from industries in Haryana, especially those located in and around Panipat and Sonepat, has caused treatment plants to stop functioning on several occasions after ammonia level went so high that it could not be treated. Untreated industrial effluent from Yamuna Nagar, Misra said, is released into the Dhanura Escape from where it meets the river upstream of Kunjpura in the Karnal district.

"Similarly, toxic waste from Panipat falls into the Yamuna near the village of Simla Gujran in Panipat district. Samples from the Dhanura Escape show presence of heavy metals, known health hazards and a clear indication of industrial pollution. This water is picked up at Wazirabad for treatment at Chandrawal and Wazirabad treatment plants," he said.

Other than heavy metals, other pollutants, too, were much higher than BIS norms for drinking water. Total coliform was 1,200 against the permissible limit of 10, total dissolved solids were 3,324 against the permissible limit of 500, biochemical oxygen demand was 240 mg/l against a limit of 30 mg/l, and chemical oxygen demand was 768 mg/l against a limit of 250 mg/l, Misra added.

Central Pollution Control Board officials said they had made it compulsory for all industries to have effluent treatment plants. "Most industries have installed ETPs but either the treatment is not up to mark or not all effluent is reaching the ETPs. We have set up a real time water pollution monitoring station at Wazirabad where we monitor 10 parameters... heavy metals are not monitored as they cannot be treated in the plants," said an official. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Heavy-metals-in-Delhis-drinking-water/articleshow/18898767.cms?prtpage=1

Rs 6,500 crore and 19 years later, Yamuna dirty as ever

ByNeha Lalchandani, TNN | Mar 11, 2013, 12.08 AM IST
NEW DELHI: About 19 years ago, Supreme Court first scrutinized pollution in the Yamuna. Innumerable orders later, Yamuna is dirtier than ever with a mind-numbing Rs 6,500 crore spent to clean the river and the latest plan — interceptor sewers — going nowhere.

On Monday, when SC reviews Yamuna's pollution, it could be back to the drawing board. Six years after Delhi Jal Board proposed interceptor sewers to treat sewage before it flows into major drains, just Rs 51 crore of the Rs 1,963 crore scheme have been spent.

Worse, it is not even clear if the measure that was to improve water quality by 2010 will actually work in light of the rapid growth of unauthorized colonies discharging sewage into the river, an issue flagged even in 2007 by an official committee that approved the interceptor proposal.

The committee had warned that 1,432 unauthorized colonies were the nub of the problem. By 2012, their number had jumped to 1,639. Although these colonies have been promised regularization, drainage and sewers are years away. In 2007, 517 of 567 unauthorized regularized colonies had sewers. The number grew by just six in the next five years. DJB says it is a difficult task to provide sewerage in such densely populated colonies where they have barely any road space for their work.

A report submitted to the court by an inspection team that included amicus curiae Ranjit Kumar as recently as November last year, called for sewage connections to all new colonies, whether authorized or not. It pointed out that Delhi's 17 sewage treatment plants (STPs) have a capacity of 2,460 MGD against an utilization of 1,558 MGD. Delhi's sewage generation is around 3,800 MGD.

The challenge will only become stiffer as projected sewage generation by 2021 is likely to be about 4,500 mld. This means sewage treatment capacity will have to be augmented by 2,000 mld in less than 10 years, says the central pollution control board.

"I agree that our STPs are not performing up to standards but we are working at addressing this," says Debashree Mukherjee, CEO of DJB. "Utilization of STPs is a problem but that is exactly what the interceptor system will address. We are also upgrading and augmenting the STPs with the new ones meeting standards set by CPCB," she said.

The SC-mandated team inspected four sewage treatment plants. It found one plant was operational but not up to capacity and another did not meet requisite parameters. A third one was non-functional and another received limited flows of untreated sewage.

Apart from the nearly Rs 2,000 crore budgeted for the interceptor scheme, money has simply gone down the drain since 1994. Uttar Pradesh has spent Rs 2,052 crore, Haryana pollution control board Rs 2,084 crore and Delhi around Rs 2,394 crore. The spending is up from Rs 5,000 crore reported earlier by TOI.

On May 19, 2010, the cabinet committee on infrastructure approved Rs 1,357 crore for the interceptor project. The Centre's component — additional central assistance — amounted to Rs 475 crore of which Rs 118 crore was transferred.

Touted as a solution to preventing untreated sewage from unauthorized colonies flowing into the Yamuna, the plan has been barely implemented. The apex court has repeatedly sought updates but DJB and Engineers India Limited, the consultant, do not have much to show.

In January, 2008, DJB informed the court that it had appointed EIL as a consultant and that data collection of likely sewage flows will be complete after "rehabilitation of sewers" in 2010. Yet, DJB submitted a plan much earlier.

The Central Pollution Control Board and Sunita Narain from Centre for Science and Environment have been sceptical of the proposal with CPCB pointing out that sewer flows were grossly underestimated and that even after implementation, Yamuna water will be far short of being "bathing quality", as envisaged by the court.

The 25km interceptor sewers are to come up along three main drains — Najafgarh, Supplementary and Shahdara. But a CPCB report last December said that as per EIL's assessment, there was a shortage of 1,000 mld treatment capacity. The present capacity was 1,500 mld and by 2036, this would increase to 2,300 mld.

"These figures seem to be an underestimate. For instance, the actual gap in Shahdara works out to about 520 mld as compared to 290 mld reported by EIL," CPCB said.

But CPCB's report has been contested by DJB in court. "Work on the interceptors is 37% complete and we are targeting 2014-end for its commissioning. The data compiled by Engineers India Ltd is accurate and the project is being monitored by me monthly and by the chief secretary every two months. The government is very serious about pushing this project and having a clean river. It must be understood that this work will take time and there cannot be an overnight change," said Mukherjee.

In 1997, Delhi government filed an affidavit in court, saying work on common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) had begun although it did not start even by 1999. In September that year, the court directed the government to pass orders to ensure that from November 1, 1999, no industrial effluent was to be discharged into the river.

In April 2000, the court noted that "this river cannot be classified as Class C possibly not even as Class E which is the least grade". By that year, 16 STPs should have been constructed. But as the court itself commented, "Performance is lagging far behind."

The 2012 Central Pollution Control Board report says there are 13 common effluent treatment plants with a capacity of 221 mld catering to 28 planned industrial estates in Delhi which generate 218 mld of industrial waste water. However, it notes that "there is a wide gap in installed capacity and its utilization".

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee's study has revealed that nine CETPs do not meet prescribed standards for one or the other pollutant.

It pointed out that renovation of STPs at Keshopur had been completed at a cost of Rs 150 crore and should have been a showcase example of design parameters of 10mg/l BOD and 10 mg/l TSS. But the performance of the STP disappointed as the plant did not meet operating parameters as well as those of effluent quality.

Expensive hardware is not the only solution for Delhi, say experts. Sunita Narain, CSE director says that DJB should a look at other inexpensive methods of cleaning the river.

"At Kumbh this year, there was a strict enforcement on industries, sewage was intercepted and reused, and bio-remediation was done at all nallahs, which ensured that sewage in nallas was much cleaner by the time it reached STPs or the Ganga," she said.

Delhi could adopt several of these techniques, Narain said. "Bio-remediation is an effective, natural and non-expensive mechanism of waste water treatment. More importantly, Delhi should take less water from the Yamuna to ensure a minimum flow in the river. Instead, it should regulate and rejuvenate its water bodies and develop its groundwater sources," she added.  
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Rs-6500-crore-and-19-years-later-Yamuna-dirty-as-ever/articleshow/18898660.cms?prtpage=1

Kanpur: Very few turtle nesting sites sighted this year

Faiz Rahman Siddiqui, TNN Feb 27, 2013, 04.51AM IST

KANPUR: It is the time of the year when hundreds of turtles make their way to the banks of Yamuna to lay their eggs. However, heavy release of water from Tajewala dam and Hathnikund barrage in Haryana for bathing purpose at Kumbh mela in Allahabad has delayed the mass nesting phenomenon of aquatic animals in the region. Wildlife experts say it could be due to excess release of water into the river Yamuna from Tajewala dam and Hathnikund barrage in Haryana besides other water reservoirs, which have majorly affected the turtles and perhaps other aquatic species, as well. "The nesting season, particularly of hard shell turtles, usually start from February end, but very few turtle nesting sites were sighted this year," said Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, society for conservation of nature. The NGO has been extensively engaged in conserving turtles since the last couple of decades.
Sita Ram Taigor of Peace Charitable Trust, New Delhi also claimed that the mass nesting of turtles is a routine feature during this time of the year. "February is drawing its end and very few turtle nesting sites are spotted along the banks of river Yamuna in the ongoing breeding season," he said.
Generally rare varieties of turtles like Kachuga Tacta, considered to be highly endangered and categorised as Schedule-I animal by IUCN, are found in Yamuna but these species are becoming rare, he added.
The sandy banks, which are considered to be the most favourite site and congenial place for mass nesting phenomenon, underwent rapid topographical changes following natural and artificial disasters over the last couple of years. Conservationists expressed their concern over the damage of nesting sites due to erosion of sand banks following excess release of water from dams and barrages. A major stretch in the down stream of the river, starting right from Bateshwar in Agra upto Sangam in Allahabad, is widely regarded as the densest nesting area for hard as well as soft shell turtles.
According to the locals of Bateshwar, the water body is home to more than half a dozen different varieties of tortoises including Kachuga tacta, Kachuga tentoria, the red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur Kachuga) and three-striped roofed turtle, Batagur Dhongoka.
"After mating at the river, females come on the sand banks during the breeding season to nest. They dig a hole in the sand, where 10-20 eggs are deposited at a time," informed Chauhan further. He also added that recent rain may also have washed away some of the turtle nesting sites.
"It is almost a great loss to us. We would try our best to save the nesting sites by apprising our superiors about the issue wherein heavy release of water from Tajewala dam and Hathnikund barrage in Haryana led to a major destruction," said Manik Chandra Yadav, district forest officer of Etawah.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-27/flora-fauna/37329978_1_shell-turtles-hathnikund-tajewala
 

नर्मदा शुद्धिकरण के लिये तेरह करोड़ की योजना पर शीघ्र अमल

मुख्यमंत्री श्री शिवराज सिंह चौहान ने कहा है कि मध्यप्रदेश में नर्मदा नदी के जल को शुद्ध रखने के लिए 1300 करोड़ रुपये लागत की कार्य योजना तैयार की गई है। कार्य योजना की शुरुआत उद्गम स्थल अमरकंटक से की जाएगी। मुख्यमंत्री श्री चौहान 9 जनवरी में बांद्राभान में तृतीय अंतर्राष्ट्रीय नदी महोत्सव के द्वितीय सत्र को संबोधित कर रहे थे। इस अवसर पर गंगा समग्र अभियान की सूत्रधार और पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री सुश्री उमा भारती, नर्मदा समग्र के अध्यक्ष श्री अमृतलाल वेगड़, संयोजक श्री अनिल माधव दवे और श्री अतुल जैन विशेष रूप से उपस्थित थे।

मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि हमारे देश में नदियों को पूजा जाता है। उन्होंने कहा कि समाज की सहभागिता के बगैर नदियों का संरक्षण संभव नहीं है। किनारों पर अवस्थित गाँवों में रहने वाले लोग संकल्प लें कि वे नदियों के जल को प्रदूषित नहीं करेंगे। उन्होंने कहा कि राज्य शासन अपने स्तर पर तो नर्मदा सहित राज्य की सभी नदियों को प्रदूषण मुक्त रखने के लिए प्रयत्नशील है। इसी दिशा में राज्य के सभी गाँवों में मर्यादा अभियान के तहत 15 लाख शौचालय के निर्माण का कार्यक्रम हाथ में लिया गया है। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा कि नदियों के किनारों पर पेड़ कट जाने के कारण वृक्षों से रिसने वाला पानी अब नदियों में नहीं आ रहा है। इसी प्रकार नदियों के किनारों पर व्यवसायिक गतिविधियाँ बढ़ जाने से नदियों के जीवतंत्र को क्षति पहुँची है। मुख्यमंत्री ने ग्रामवासियों को नदियों के किनारों पर बड़े पैमाने पर वृक्षारोपण करने का संकल्प लेने की सलाह दी।

सुश्री उमा भारती ने कहा कि हमारी संस्कृति सर्व-समावेशी है। नदियाँ हमारी जीवनदायिनी हैं लेकिन हम नदियों को कुछ लौटाते नहीं हैं। सुश्री भारती ने गंगा समग्र अभियान का उल्लेख करते हुए कहा कि नदी किनारों पर सीवेज के गंदे पानी को नदियों में मिलने से रोकने के लिए जल उपचार संयंत्र स्थापित किये जाने चाहिए। सुश्री उमा भारती ने कहा कि नदियों के जल के अविरल प्रवाह को बनाए रखने के लिए वहाँ होने वाले खनन का रुकना भी जरूरी है।

श्री अमृतलाल वेगड़ ने कहा कि प्राकृतिक संतुलन बनाए रखने के लिए सामाजिक चेतना जाग्रत करना भी नर्मदा समग्र अभियान का उद्देश्य है। श्री वेगड़ ने कार्यक्रम के अंत में मुख्यमंत्री श्री शिवराज सिंह चौहान को तथा श्री अनिल माधव दवे ने सुश्री उमा भारती को स्मृति-चिन्ह भेंट किये।

श्री अनिल माधव दवे ने कहा कि इस वर्ष नदी महोत्सव की थीम ‘‘हमारी नदियाँ, नीति एवं नेतृत्व’’ रखी गई है। श्री दवे ने कहा कि नर्मदा समग्र अभियान के अंतर्गत राज्य में आगामी 10 वर्ष में जैविक और प्राकृतिक कृषि को बढ़ावा देने के प्रयत्न किये जायेंगे। महोत्सव में जन-प्रतिनिधि, प्रचार माध्यमों के प्रतिनिधि तथा देश-विदेश के विभिन्न भागों से आए प्रतिभागी बड़ी संख्या में शामिल थे।

http://www.mpinfo.org/mpinfonew/rojgar/2013/1802/other02.asp