Panipat drain No. 1 is an effluent dump; samples don’t pass any tests

The first drain, which flows through the textile city, is seriously contaminated. Recent investigations on the amounts of dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, and biological oxygen demand (BOD) in the drain have shown this. It was discovered that every one of these parameters was over the recommended bounds.

47 sites have been recognized by the Haryana State Pollution Board (HSPCB) as the source of direct residential sewage flow into the sewer.

The primary reason for the sample failures was the untreated sewage and industrial effluent that was being dumped into drain No. 1 at different locations.

With ten sewage treatment facilities (STPs) operating in the city and a combined capacity of 168.8 MLD, the terrible state of the drain is a fact.

According to reports, the Municipal Corporation (MC) region generates around 98 MLD of sewage annually, of which only 74 MLD is treated by STPs. The remaining 24 MLD of waste flows straight into drain No. 1, which then joins drain No. 2 and ultimately enters the Yamuna.

There are ten STPs in operation in this area: two 25 MLD and 35 MLD STPs in Sewah; two 20 MLD and 10 MLD STPs on Jatal Road; a 30 MLD STP on Barsat Road; 0.8 MLD STP in Sector-6 and 5 MLD STP in Samalkha; a 15 MLD STP in Dev Colony; and a 3 MLD STP in Sewah Village.

According to sources, the district administration and the HSPCB were taken aback by the latest report, which revealed that every drain No. 1 parameter was beyond the allowable limits. The report states that the fecal coliform was discovered to be above 5,000 against the permitted limit of 500, the dissolved oxygen in the drain was minimal, and the biological oxygen demand (BOD) was determined to be 90 against the permissible limit of 3.

Following receipt of the information, HSPCB personnel carried out a study, identifying 47 locations along the Kabri-Chautala route where sewage was being dumped into the drain and collecting samples at these locations.

According to Bhupender Singh Chahal, RO, HSPCB, the primary cause of the rising pollution in the water body is that up to 47 permanent locations have been found from where the residential sewage from the colonies was being dumped into drain No. 1. Chahal said, “Samples from each of these 47 points have been taken and sent to laboratories.” According to him, the MC authorities were also notified about the tapping of these 47 sites.