(a) whether Government is aware that Tungabhadra river in Karnataka is highly polluted due to drainage water culminated in the river;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has any proposal to save the Tungabhadra river from pollution; and
(d) if so, the response of the Government in this regard?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION (PROF.SANWAR LAL JAT)
(a)&(b) Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its report of 2010 has identified Tungabhadra river from ‘Harihar downstream to Haraeahalli Bridge &Ullanur’ and at ‘downstream of Ullanur’ as polluted based on Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels, a key indicator of organic pollution.
(c)&(d) The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoE,F&CC) is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in pollution abatement in identified stretches of various rivers through the centrally sponsored scheme of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) for implemen- tation of projects on cost sharing basis between the Central and State Governments.
Under NRCP, for pollution abatement of Tungabhadra river, works pertaining to interception & diversion of sewage, sewage treatment plants, low-cost sanitation, river front development, improved wood crematoria etc. have been sanctioned in the towns of Davangere and Harihara in Karnataka at a cost of Rs.7.16 crore and sewage treatment capacity of 28.29 million litres per day (mld) has been created in these two towns.Also for pollution abatement of river Tunga at Shimoga and river Bhadra at Bhadravati for similarworks, a total cost of Rs.7.47 crore have been sanctioned and sewage treatment capacity of 5.83 mld has been created at Bhadravati.