MPCB findings watered down: Experts
MUMBAI: Environmentalists and petitioners in on-going court cases on high pollution levels in city’s river and coastal water have rubbished the state pollution board’s claim that there has been an overall improvement in water quality across the city.
However, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) said the quality of coastal and river in Mumbai improved within a span of a few months because of the efforts of the state and awareness among citizens. The details come three weeks after HT reported that as per a 243-page report to the Supreme Court (SC) from the state, the deadly floods of July 2005 could occur again, owing to the high pollution levels in Mithi river.
MPCB said restoration of Mithi was 70% done and the remaining work would take six months. “The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the civicbody have worked a lot to improve Mithi,” said YB Sontakke, joint director (water quality), MPCB, adding, “They have built bridges in areas where excess littering was identified, planned for proper dredging system, and sewage meeting the river is being diverted to newly planned sewage treatment plants (STPS). Both agencies have already spent more than ₹400 crore. We are satisfied with developments.”
However, water quality expert and member of the committee constituted as per SC orders, professor AD Sawant said MPCB findings were incorrect and it was impossible for such a drastic improvement. “The amount of domestic waste entering the Mithi river and coastal areas has not reduced at all. We surveyed these locations earlier this year. The level of BOD is way above 200 milligram per litre (mg/l) and above 100mg/l for coastal areas. As these readings will be submitted to the central pollution board and for future court cases, we need to question the analysis.”
A senior civic official however said all directions as per MPCB’S action to plan to improve water quality were being followed. “We can’t say whether water quality has improved. However, the amount of sewage entering rivers and coastal areas has reduced. With the construction of a Powai STP, encroachment removal work, and setting up of trash booms, a lot of work is being done to address pollution.”
Advocate Shehzad Naqvi, petitioner in a Bombay HC case regarding coastal water pollution, said the state environment department had submitted an affidavit earlier this month indicating that sewage weighing 655 million litres per day enters the sea directly. HT has a copy of the affidavit. “The state environment department told the HC that BMC is not effectively addressing the water pollution issue as STPS are missing and pipes from slum washrooms discharge waste into rivers, creeks and the sea.”