5 quality monitoring stations for Yamuna, Ghaggar soon

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, September 8

To assess the pollution level in the Yamuna and Ghaggar, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has started setting up real-time water quality monitoring stations (RTWQMS).

To be installed by December-end

The tendering process is under way and we are hoping that the stations will be installed by December-end. The approximate cost of each station will be over Rs 50 lakh. — S Narayanan, Member Secretary, HSPCB

The Centre Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had recently launched the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWQMP) and decided to install the real-time monitoring stations to assess the quality of the water bodies with the support of the state pollution boards.

Now, the HSPCB has decided to set up five such stations — three for the Yamuna in Yamunanagar, Panipat and Sonepat districts and two stations for the Ghaggar at Panchkula and Sirsa.

Sources said the HSPCB would observe several parameters, including pH, turbidity, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, dissolved ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, nitrates and chlorides in the river water online.

The stations will be operational in a real-time mode and the central station will be able to access the data from any of these stations.

S Narayanan, Member Secretary, HSPCB, said they had started the work on the process to install the RTWQMS.

The board has decided to install RTWQMS on the basis of “3+2 formula” — three stations on the Yamuna and two on the Ghaggar.

The stations will help them to identify the places where the Yamuna and Ghaggar were more polluted and the contribution of the states to the pollution of the water bodies, he added.

Notably, the pollution level in the Yamuna has been a bone of contention between Delhi and Haryana. The Delhi Government has blamed Haryana for polluting the Yamuna several times.

“We will install five stations as a pilot project,” said Narayanan.

“The places finalised for the installation of the RTWQMS are Majri Chowk in Panchkula, Ottu Weir in Sirsa, Tajewala on Hathnikund Barrage in Yamunagar, Yamuna Bridge in Panipat and the Eastern Peripheral Way on the Delhi border in Sonepat,” he said. “Tendering process is underway and we are hoping that the stations will be installed by December-end,” Narayanan said.

Though the final cost of the RTWQMS will be clear after the tender process, the approximate cost of each station will be over Rs 50 lakh, he said.