By IANS,
Chandigarh : The Haryana government Tuesday sought the central government’s intervention to save the Yamuna river and to reduce the pollution level in its waters.
“The BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) value of water in Yamuna river, at the entry point to Delhi from Haryana, ranges from 1.44 to 2.76 milligrams per litre against the permissible limit of 3 milligrams per litre,” the state’s Environment, Forests and Tourism Minister Kiran Choudhry Tuesday said at the conference of the forest and environment ministers in New Delhi.
However, she said as one went downstream, the quality of water deteriorated and the BOD value reaches as high as 28.0 milligrams per litre, adding 22 drains of Delhi and one drain from Uttar Pradesh fall in the Yamuna river and are the major source of pollution.
Choudhry said this issue had been repeatedly been brought to the notice of central government and central pollution control board but no tangible results have been achieved so far.
“Therefore, we want the central government to immediately intervene in the matter especially in view of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2010,” she said.
Choudhry also appealed to the central government to release the remaining funds for the Elephant Rescue and Research Centre coming up at Ban Santaur forest area in the Yamunanagar district.
“We are undertaking this project with the consent of the Central Zoo Authority. Till now, the government of India has released Rs.50 lakh (Rs.5 million) for this centre. However, the total project cost is around Rs.200 lakh (Rs.20 million),” she said.
She said that in 2009-10, Haryana has sent a proposal to the central environment and forests to ministry to release Rs.3 crore (Rs.30 million) under the centrally sponsored schemes for wildlife management.
In 2008-09, Haryana had got Rs.7.2 million (Rs.72 lakh) from the central government under this scheme, she added.