Rourkela: The Jan Adhikaar Manch has expressed deep concern over the pollution in the Brahmani river which flows from the confluence of two of its tributaries Sankh and Koel.
A group of Manch representatives handed over a memorandum Thursday to a representative of the Additional Collector of Rourkela, Manisha Banerjee.
The memorandum pointed out, among other things, that around 40 lakh people belonging to four districts of Odisha, and around eight to nine lakh people of the Steel City and nearby areas, depend on the river.
Apart from this, devotees visiting Saibapeeth Vedvyas also bathe in this river every day. The Jagaramela of Lord Shiva is held for 20 days on the bed of the Brahmani. Thousands of vendors from outside the state participate in the Mela, the Manch said.
The Jan Adhikaar Manch emphasised that pollution in the Brahmani river which is linked to a sacred place is a matter of great concern. The garbage dumped on the Brahmani’s riverbed is increasing by the day, they said.
Waste water from many sources is also entering the river. Poisonous waste water coming from factories has degraded the water of Brahmani.
“The silence of the public on this matter will lead to great danger and natural calamities in future. The views of environmentalists are not being given importance,” the Manch officials added.
The Rourkela Mahanagar Nigam has already spent around Rs 1 crore on a project called ‘Brahmani Srotaswini’, with the help of the state government. In such a situation when we see utsavs in the name of the Brahmani it hurts public sentiments as nothing is being done to save the river, the Manch said.
They said that in the first week of March the Vedvyas Mela will be held. Lakhs of devotees are expected to attend the Mela. We requested in the memorandum for steps to clean the Brahmani before the Mela, the Manch added.
The Jan Adhikaar Manch was represented by its Coordinator Sadanand Sahu, former Rourkela Mayor Ramesh Bal, former MLA Pravat Mohapatra, Gobardhan Pujari, Samarpriya Tanti, Swagatika Mohanty, Jasmita Pradhan, Suparna Rana, Chhayakanta Senapati and Arun Das.
PNN