Groundwater in catchment areas of Yamuna unfit for drinking

GROUNDWATER QUALITY IS BEING MONITORED AT 50 LOCATIONS IN THE CATCHMENT AREAS OF YAMUNA AND 79 LOCATIONS IN GHAGGAR RIVER

KARNAL: The groundwater in many locations in the catchment areas of river Yamuna and Ghaggar in Haryana was found unfit for drinking because million litres of daily untreated effluent are being discharged from industries into these water bodies. This was revealed in the monthly progress report by the Ghaggar and Yamuna Action Plan of the Haryana government.

As per the report, quality of the groundwater was being monitored at 78 locations in the catchment areas of Ghaggar by the HSPCB. Of total 78 locations, groundwater was found unfit at 38 locations. Most of the 11 affected locations are identified in Kaithal, followed by nine in Fatehabad, eight in Sirsa, six in Ambala, three in Hisar, and one in Jind.

The report revealed that the groundwater quality is being monitored at 50 locations in the catchment areas of Yamuna. Of total 50 locations, groundwater was found fit for drinking at 40 locations and non-complying at 10 locations. Maximum four such locations were found in Ballabgarh and three each in Panpat and Palwal.

Yamuna’s water is fit in Yamunangar and Karnal but gets polluted near Karnal after the merger of Dhanaura escape canal in which around 73.50MLD domestic and industrial waste of Yamunangar is being discharged.

However, officials of the HSPCB said the industries are being persuaded to obtain permission from the Central

Ground Water Authority for extraction of groundwater and directions have been conveyed to all task forces to cap such water sources and a display board mentioning: “Water is not for drinking” may be placed.

The officials said the tree plantation drive is being carried out in the affected areas as the forest department has selected 87 villages in catchment areas of Yamuna and 51 villages in the catchment areas of Ghaggar.

S Narayanan, member secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, said, “The water was found unfit for drinking at many places in terms of TDS value. Not in terms of toxicity of metal and other issues.”

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday granted bail to a man accused of raping a woman, on the grounds that his name was tattooed on her forearm and that “it is not easy to make the art if there is resistance from the other side.”

While the woman had alleged that the accused forcibly tattooed his name on the her arm, the court said it is not an “easy job to make a tattoo”.

“In my opinion, making tattoos is an art and a special machine is required for the same. Moreover, it is also not easy to make such a tattoo which is on the forearm of the complainant if there is some resistance from the other side,” justice Rajnish Bhatnagar said in the judgment.

“It is not everybody’s job and it is also not the case of the prosecutrix that the petitioner had anything to do with the tattoo business,” the court said in its judgment.

The woman alleged that the accused forced her to have physical relations with him by threatening and blackmailing her.

She asserted that physical relations continued from 2016 till 2019.

Accused says relationship was consensual

The accused said the complainant, who was married, loved him and claimed they were in a consensual relationship.

He said the FIR was registered only after she failed to convince him to maintain the ties.

He also showed the photos of the tattoo on the woman’s arm and said that she clicked selfies with him, exchanged garlands, attended festivities, and sent him a friend request on Facebook.