Water pollution cause more illness than any other environmental influences.

By Bijay Mishra
Bhubaneswar, Dt 23-3-23
  Various experts and water activists have expressed grave concern over river water pollution in Odisha  due to discharge of industrial effluent , untreated and partially treated domestic sewage from  urban areas , problems in operation and maintenance of sewage and industrial effluent treatment plants . 
     In a Seminar on World Water Day , jointly organised by “MASS “ “Citizens Action Forum”& “Association of Electronic Media” on 
“Effect of Water Pollution & Management of Industrial Water “, speakers have stressed upon treatment of sewage and industrial effluents to the prescribed standards before discharging into water bodies, seas or land to prevent and control of pollution therein.
  Presiding over the meeting , noted environmentalist Dr Sudhi Ranjan Das told that, pollution of water cause more illness of human being than any other environmental influences. The polluted water are responsible for several water borne diseases such as : cholera, typhoid, infantile diarrhoea, dysentry, infectious hepatitis, polio, ziardiasis, jundice etc.Presence of Cadmium in water, due to various industrial discharges and mining wastes, cause high blood pressure, kidney damage, destruction of testicular tissue and red blood cells. 
  Water Quality of 50 rivers in Odisha was monitored at 133 locations during the year out of which, 14 locations on 7 rivers including Brahmani, Daya, Gangua, Kathajodi were found non-complying to the prescribed Water Quality Criteria with respect to BOD.
  Discharge of Hexavalent Chromium from Chromite mines at Sukinda of Jajpur district pollutes the water of rivulet Dharmasala as well as the water in ponds and wells in around 2-5 km. radius of the mining operation. Leachates of soluble iron from mines of iron ore pollute the water of river Mahanadi into the Bay of Bengal. Liquid Ammonia released from the plant cause pollution to the water in wells and tanks in nearby. 
  Among others the meeting was addressed by activists C R Sahu , Bijay Mishra & R N Sahu .