Environmentalists are aghast to see that the upper pond of Jagannath Mandir Colony in Sambalpur is being filled with fly ash, thereby killing the water body as well as polluting the nearby areas.
“We have learnt that this is being done under a project funded by the Sambalpur Development Authority (SDA). This act is dangerous, and we urge the SDA to immediately stop this work and revive the pond,” said Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) convenor Ranjan Panda on Monday.
This water body is one of the twin ponds that are still active ecosystems and have been supporting local trees, bird species and have been playing a role in recharging the local groundwater. Besides, hundreds of people use the lower pond water for bathing and other purposes daily. “Any effort to kill and pollute the upper pond would kill and pollute the lower pond as well,” warned Panda.
What is more shocking is to find that the filling of the upper pond is being done with fly ash from nearby coal-fired power plants. Fly ash contains heavy carcinogenic contents and also has high radioactive elements. Disposal of fly ash needs scientific methods and that are clearly prescribed in the environmental clearances given to the plants by the Pollution Control Boards. “By openly transporting fly ash and dumping it in a residential area, this work not only violates air pollution norms but also has high potential to contaminate groundwater,” said Panda.
For several years, a children’s park has been developed on one of the bunds of the pond that is now being filled up. It is certainly a good move and one would have hoped that after the park was developed the pond would get proper protection. However, there seems an effort to kill this pond in the name of extension of the children’s park. “local people informed us that this is being done with SDA money. If the SDA has money, it should use it to revive the pond to its previous glory and strengthen the children’s park on the bund with more vegetative covers and other greenery development activities. It should, in no way, kill the pond,” said a leading WIO member, Dillip Kumar Padhi.
Another leading WIO member, Prof Arttabandhu Mishra, said, “Ponds are an integral part of the river basin systems. If we kill ponds of Sambalpur, the water flow of the Mahanadi would also be affected. In fact, the urban planners need to revive all ponds and protect them with sufficient vegetative covers. In no case, urban water bodies should be used as garbage dumping pits and any other purposes. Ponds can fight the heat and water scarcity for us.”