The Mahanadi river, the largest waterway of the State, has been polluted due to pollutants and contaminated materials that are entering into the stream.
The towns lying on the river bank are chiefly responsible for contaminating the water than the industries, sources said. The State Pollution Control Board in a survey came to know that the oxygen level in the Mahanadi water is declining in 7 locations of the river. Along with it, a harmful bacteria Coliform was found more in 16 locations. The drain water released from the towns is directly running into the river and is causing pollution.
The pollution of the river is seen a long way from Jharsuguda to Paradip. The drain water released to the IB River, a tributary of Mahanadi, in Jharsuguda and Brajarajnagar is entering into the Hirakud water reservoir.
The waste and drain water of the cities of Sambalpur and Cuttack that are situated on the Mahanadi banks have turned the principal medium for contaminating the river water.
The pollution of the river is chiefly man-made, sources said. Along with the city’s waste water, the industries those are on the banks of the Mahanadi are also playing major role in polluting the water in Paradip . The amount of florid is higher in the river water that came out of the fertilizer plants. The pollution board has asked these industries to take steps to prevent water pollution in the area.
Although, the board is writing letters to several industries and Sambalpur and Cuttack municipal corporations regularly, the effort goes in vain. No step on behalf of the authorities has been taken so far and the waste water is being released to the river directly through drain.
The pollution is found in Mahanadi’s other branch rivers - Kathajodi, Kuakhai, Daya and Birupa as well. The board in its report has mentioned about the release of drain water in the Daya river. Similarly, waste water coming out of Choudwar is released in the Birupa river and Cuttack’s drain water is polluting the Kathajodi.
The users are at higher risk to be affected by various stomach and skin related diseases due to river pollution in its lower region, experts stated.