Puri: At a time when the state government is spending crores of rupees on transforming the Pilgrim town into a World Heritage City, tourists commuting through Chakratirtha Road here have to negotiate the stink emanating from a ‘polluted’ Banki river mouth.
According to sources, black patches can be seen at many places in the once-beautiful river mouth. Besides, sewage and garbage strewn all over the areas near the river mouth have also been ruining the aesthetics of the locality.
In a bid to improve the hygiene level of the Pilgrim City, a sewage treatment plant (STP) was set up near Sanskruti Bhawan in 1998. The plant was expected to treat wastewater and faecal sludge before releasing them into the sea through Banki river mouth so as to avoid contamination of the water body.
The plant, however, lies defunct most of the time. And untreated wastewater is being released directly into sea, thereby contaminating the water body. “Also affected is the groundwater quality in areas adjoining the river mouth. This apart, the Odisha Water Supply & Sewerage Board has built a drain along the beach for discharge of rainwater around four years ago. The drainage channel originates from Hotel Hans Coco Palms and ends at Banki river mouth. Apart from discharging rainwater, the channel is also used by a few commercial establishments to release sewerage into the sea through the Banki river mouth which has of late turned into a virtual dump yard,” alleges Sachetan Nagarika Mancha chief Prasanna Kumar Das.
Das further blamed the authorities of not applying enzyme dosing at the STP.
“If enzyme dosing technique was really followed then why the areas adjoining the Banki river mouth has been stinking throughout the year,” the senior lawyer pointed out.
Refuting the allegations, Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company Limited (JUSCO) supervisor Yaswant Bisi, who is in charge of the plant, said that they have been using enzyme dosing technique.
“We are applying enzyme dosing on a daily basis when the wastewater enters the plant. The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of water is being measured every month. Water with BOD level below 30 will not affect the sea water. After treatment, the BOD level of water usually remains around 27,” Bisi explained.
When asked about the foul odour, Bisi said that people have been discharging their household and toilet wastes. “Subsequently, wastewater carrying more contaminants reaches the treatment plant. And we have to deploy staffers who sprinkle chemicals manually before releasing the water to the sea through river mouth,” Bisi said.
Bisi added that many slum dwellers have been discharging their wastewater, including from toilets, directly to the river mouth through channels between the treatment plant and the river mouth. This is one of the major causes of contamination.
Utkal University Geology department head Debanand Beura said that drain water was being released through channels built for releasing rainwater. “Untreated drain water being released into the sea has been contaminating the bay which in turn would slowly but surely affect the environment. The drain water in long run would hamper the water table and ground water quality. Hence, the authorities must set up an ultramodern treatment plant and release the wastewater into sea after getting it properly treated at the plant,” Beura added.
When asked, public health engineering organisation (PHEO) executive engineer Sarat Chandra Mishra claimed that the treatment plant was functioning well. Chance of ground water contamination is negligible as the wastewater has no linkage with the sweet water zone.