Trees, ponds planned in Hindon catchment
GHAZIABAD: In order to bolster the health of dying river Hindon, the Ghaziabad district administration will plant trees and create ponds along its catchment area.
According to the officials, the administration will enlist the help of different agencies such as the departments of Irrigation, rural development, UP Avas Vikas and the Ghaziabad Development Authority to carry out the proposed work.
The issue of river Hindon pollution was discussed recently in a meeting of the district groundwater management council and it was agreed that the ecological balance of the river catchment area has to be improved.
The district magistrate is chalking out a plan in this regard and different works will be assigned to different departments in a decentralised manner, officials in the know of the matter said.
“The idea is to tap the catchment area of the river. In such areas, we plan to create water bodies (ponds) and also get the help of the forest department to take up plantation,” said Rakesh Kumar Singh, district magistrate.
“For the purpose, we have asked different departments to contribute to the plan and agencies such as the GDA can also enlist the help of private developers and utilise the corporate social responsibility funds,” the district magistrate further said.
The Hindon, western Uttar Pradesh’s most important river, has a basin area of about 7,000 square kilometres. It originates in the Shivalik range in Saharanpur district and flows down to Muzaffarnagar, before making its way through Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar to meet the Yamuna downstream in Delhi.
According to environmentalists and numerous studies over the years, the river has become so polluted that it has zero aquatic life in large stretches and is also affecting the human population in nearby villages and cities as the groundwater is also becoming polluted.
“The work for the plantation and creation of water bodies will help preserve the boundaries of the river and will help in groundwater recharge. We have already demarcated the floodplains and work for installation of pillars will be initiated now,” said Sanjay Singh, executive engineer, the state irrigation department, which is the custodian of the river.
“Simultaneously , we will also focus on tapping drains. We also plan to increase the water flow from one of the escapes upstream, where the river gets fresh water from the
Upper Ganga Canal. This will induce a better flow and clean the river as well,” Singh said.
But environmentalists are sceptical about how much this plan would work, when earlier such plans, to preserve and rejuvenate the river, have come to naught.
“The plan should be implemented with a fixed timeline. Creation of ponds will boost the river system as the river Hindon is currently devoid of any water flow. Plantation will help preserve the natural surroundings and can eventually turn into a habitat for birds and animals,” said Akash Vashishtha, a city-based environmentalist and member of the district groundwater council.
THE RIVER IS SO POLLUTED THAT IT HAS ZERO AQUATIC LIFE IN LARGE STRETCHES, SAID EXPERTS