Hyderabad: The retrograde acts in the name of development are creating many troubles for the survival of human beings. The pollution caused by industrialization is poisoning the sky, the earth, water and ruthlessly destroying human life. An international study of December 2008 found that of the 83 million people killed in pollution worldwide, 23 million were Indians.
Industrial pollution alone accounts for death of nearly twelve and a half million people in India. With the nationwide lockdown being implemented as part of the corona pandemic strategy, industrial activities has come to a halt, resulting in astonishing quality and purity of the environment. The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board has clarified that with the stoppage of toxic waste into the rivers, they are flourishing with clean water. Three and a half decades ago the Center had announced its great intention to purify the river Ganga. During Rajiv Gandhi regime this effort was started by spending Rs 4,000 crores.
Since there was no result, the Modi government has taken up the Namami Ganga Mega Project in 2014 with 310 projects at an outlay of Rs. 28,790 crores to complete it by the end of this year. However, only 37 per cent work has been completed. While the government intends to take up wastewater treatment projects extensively and clean the Ganga, the present improvement reveals that if there is no contamination of industrial waste, the Ganga can revive itself!
The way the major rivers are reviving themselves in the absence of industrial pollution makes it clear that there should be a change in the strategies for cleaning the river waters.
The first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru considered river Ganga as the soul of India. The sin of mutilating that soul by allowing its waters to get contaminated and become unworthy of even bathing goes to the government of the eight states!