Clearing a crucial roadblock in the way of Yamuna’s survival, The Ministry of Jal Shakti has called for a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on Mausam Nagar and Koyla Alipur treatment zones. Once these become functional, it will be possible to stop the 25MLD untreated waste being discharged into the river by the Kosi Drain every day.
Vrindavan, 2021-10-16 (Vrindavan Today News): This year the auspicious occasion of Vijaydashami or Dussehra came alive in the truest sense of ‘victory of good over evil’ for the Yamuna, Her devotees and those who have been relentlessly fighting to save Her. In what is being hailed as a big step forward on the path to the save the sacred river, the Central Ministry of Jal Shakti has, under the Namami Gange Project, called for a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the monstrous Kosi Drain which pollutes the Yamuna with 25 MLD of untreated waste every single day.
With this move, Yamuna activists, most notably Shri Gopeshwarnath Chaturvedi – member of the managing committee of Shri Krishna Janmsthan Mathura as well as the main petitioner in the case, are looking forward to the river having a fair chance of survival.
The Kosi Drain, situated in Chhata daily contributes 25 MLD of untreated water including industrial as well as domestic waste to the upstream of the river. Even though under the Yamuna Project, the waste is being pumped up to the STP at Varah Ghat for treatment, the problem is that the plant has a capacity of only 12 MLD which is less than half that of the Drain’s. Additionally, there are other smaller drains emptying their filth into the Yamuna. While the administration says that almost all of them have been tapped, the activists claim otherwise.
Despite there being four zones at which Kosi’s treatment is planned, the drain is still the single biggest cause of Yamuna pollution. This is because only the Bengali Ghat and the Trans Yamuna Pumping Stations are functional; work at Mausam Nagar and Koyla Alipur is yet to begin. Activists have been knocking the doors of authorities for a long time to get going on these zones, beginning with the preparation of a DPR.
In this regard, Gopeshwarnath Chaturvedi and his associate Vijay Bahadur Singh of Shri Krishna Janmsthan Mathura, recently met with UP Power Minister Shrikant Sharma. Escalating matters to the Central Government, a detailed report on the Kosi and other smaller drains behind Yamuna pollution was handed over to Union Minister of State, Ministry of Jal Shakti – Shri Prahlad Patel.
Despite running into repeated setbacks, the Ministry has finally given orders for a PFR (Pre Feasibility Report), along with the DPR to be prepared. Handing over the official letter to Gopeshwarnath Chaturvedi, RK Sahu – section officer, National Mission for Clean Ganga (Department of water resources, Ministry of Jal Shakti) said that this is a huge step forward in the fight to save the dying river. Sahu also added that for the mission to be successful, in addition to the Kosi, it is also important to tap the drains falling before Gokul Barrage.
