Vidarbha’s biggest irrigation reservoir — Gosikhurd — is facing a pollution crisis for 11 years because of the discharge of untreated waste by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and a couple of cities of the district and therefore the adjacent Bhandara district.
Due to regular contamination of water, the dam has started facing threat from weeds for one or two years. The weed menace is dangerous for aquatic life, animals, and irrigation. To retrieve matters, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has started the tendering method to appoint personal agencies for acquisition and operation of the aquatic weed gather machine for the Gosikhurd reservoir. According to the terms and conditions of the tender, work for gather weed and storing it’ll be meted out for eight months. WRD officers told that it’s in all probability for the primary time that the necessity for an aquatic weed gather machine arose for a reservoir in Vidarbha. “The water that the reservoirs get within the monsoon is employed for irrigation, drinking, and industrial functions throughout the year. Therefore, weeds don’t seem in reservoirs. Weeds are a giant threat to aquatic life, irrigation, animals also because of the lifetime of reservoirs. sadly, weeds are growing within the Gosikhurd dam since the last number of years thanks to the flow of untreated waste from Nagpur and a few a lot of cities. Untreated waste offers birth to varied varieties of weeds, emanates foul smell and creates alternative issues. we’ve got the time and once more requested the NMC and therefore the Maharashtra Pollution control board (MPCB) to prevent releasing untreated waste however to no avail. fortunately, the dam got excess water this monsoon and plenty of weed got swept away. The weed must be removed entirely so it doesn’t grow or unfold. Therefore, we’ve got planned to interact a weed gather machine,” he said. WRD officers supplemental that a gathering has been organized with officers of the National Thermal power station (NTPC), Mouda, to request them to reprocess Nagpur’s waste. “Like one hundred million meter cube (MMC) water from the Gosikhurd reservoir is reserved for NTPC, it will develop a waste treatment plant (STP) before the purpose wherever the Nag river meets Kanhan river and use treated waste for power generation. If it happens then pollution in Kanhan stream, Wainganga river and Gosikhurd reservoir can finish. an extra 100 MMC water is provided for irrigation and alternative functions,” he said.
The NMC and a couple of cities — Kamptee, Kanhan, Paoni, Bhandara, etc — were releasing untreated waste into near rivers for many years however it ne’er resulted in any issues. the matter arose once the Gosikhurd reservoir, with an irrigation potential of 2.75 100000 hectares, was made. It started storage of water from 2008. within the summer of 2009, WRD had to unharness water from the dam because it was contaminated to an excellent extent. Following media reports, the Nagpur bench of Bombay court took suo motu awareness and issued deadlines to free the Gosikhurd reservoir, a project price Rs18,500 crore, from pollution.
Many initiatives were planned, however, got delayed thanks to the NMC. town generates around 570 MLD waste. the primary STP of 130 MLD was commissioned in 2016 and treated waste was getting used for power generation at the Koradi thermal power station. The civic body commissioned second the STP of 200 MLD in 2018 and free treated waste in Nag stream itself. Thus, 240 MLD of untreated waste remains flowing into Kanhan and Wainganga rivers so the Gosikhurd reservoir. alternative cities are nonetheless to construct any STP and still unharness untreated waste. An NMC official said the problem is going to be resolved shortly. “NMC is that the country’s 1st civic body to treat 330 MLD waste. Mahagenco can begin to use two hundred MLD treated waste from March next year. Thus, 330 MLD treated waste won’t get in Nag river. NMC planned the third STP of 150 MLD for NTPC however place it on hold thanks to protests by farmers who wish the water to still flow into the Nag river. 2 mini-STPs of 10 MLD are operating on Nag and Pili rivers. a lot of STPs with the capability of ninety MLD are planned by NMC below Nag stream Pollution Abatement Project and NIT. in this manner, the whole waste is going to be treated,” he said.
