Bijay Charak
Jammu, Jan 12: The Irrigation and Flood Control department is spending millions for the construction of artificial lake on river Tawi just a few meters downstream the Bikram chowk bridge, but hundreds of kilograms of sewerage waste, contaminated water, plastic carry bags beside other pollutants of several localities, is being dumped into river by around one dozen sewerage drains, polluting the river with each passing day. Drains of several localities of old Jammu city including Panjthirthi, Pacci Dacci, Prem Nagar, Chand Nagar, Christian colony, Gujjar Nagar, Kasim Nagar besides localities of New Jammu including Gorkha Nagar, Sheikh Nagar, Kalka colony, localities adjoining Jammu University campus have no proper drainage system and the sewerage waste of said localities is coming to river Tawi, but concerned authorities are not paying any attention to restrict their entry. The plight of the river from the newly constructed Hari Singh park adjoining to Samadian road, where an open drain can be found dumping huge waste including contaminated water, flesh waste, thermocol sheets and boxes used for fish packing, being dumped in the river give a nauseatic feeling to the onlooker. "This drain starts from Chand Nagar area, where there are around two dozen fish shops. The shopkeepers throw the waste flesh, produced during cleaning and cutting of fishes, besides the thermocol boxes and water into the drain, which ultimately immersed into river Tawi, thus polluting it badly with each passing day, " Narinder Singh of old city area said. Expressing concern over pathetic condition of river Tawi, also known as Tawishi and Suryaputri, he further said that it was very unfortunate that the river which is revered by Hindus, was being polluted and none bothered about its deteriorating condition. "It is the failure of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and district administration Jammu, which is so far fail to evolve any strategy to save the river from being polluted anymore" he said. An official of Pollution Control Board, preferring anonymity said that the thermocol, used for fish packing was very harmful, but felt astonished over the attitude of JMC, which never initiated any action against the shopkeepers. "Whenever the thermocol sheets get accumulated in excess, the fish market owners put them to fire, after which it emanates smoke which is very dangerous, but the practice is on, for the last many decades and none takes action" he rued, adding that such huge dumping of pollutants has also badly affected the flora and fauna in Tawi river. He further said that the need of the hour was to divert all the drains from entering river Tawi, while at the same time it was also a duty of common citizens to avoid throwing "Hawan Samagri" or other waste into the river.
The construction of artificial lake in river Tawi was also in the final stage, while the parks are also being developed on one side of river to attract tourists in Jammu, but it was sad to notice that, no work has been started to divert the drains so far. Irrigation and Flood Control department Chief Engineer KK Gupta said that eight major drains from Panjthirthi area to Krishna Nagar were presently entering into the river Tawi. "We have already taken up the matter with JMC. The NBCC is laying down the sewerage pipeline in Jammu city and their work is in the final stage" he said, adding that before the commissioning of artificial lake, the sewerage drains would be diverted from entering river Tawi. |
