Jayakrishnan Vu
post news network
Bhubaneswar, June 6: Rising pollution in Kuakhai River in Pandara area on Capital outskirts has affected the lives of people living in nearby areas.
Residents alleged untreated effluents released from Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital here has been polluting the river water. Waste water is being released into the river through a sewerage plant at the hospital, which is located near the river banks.
A concrete wall, which is in decrepit condition, separates the sewerage plant from the river. This results in leakage of sewage into the river.
Polluted water continues to flow into the river, posing grave health risks to the residents and domestic animals of the area, said Gopal Sahu, a resident of Pandara area. Despite repeated complaints made by the residents, the neither the hospital administration nor the government has taken any steps to stop the menace.
Though the hospital has built two effluent treatment plants, they have remained dysfunctional, the locals alleged.
Colour of the river water, which has turned toxic, has undergone drastic change owing to the rising pollution, residents rued.
Meanwhile, Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) regional officer Hadi Bandhu Panigrahi said, a show-cause notice in this regard has been issued to the hospital authorities a month ago. However, the hospital is yet to respond in this connection.
Hospital superintendent Ranjit Kumar Mishra said there were two sewerage plants at the hospital to treat the waste water on its premises and a concrete wall separates the plants from river bank.