Toxic streams

SIBERIAN rivers have turned into poisonous streams carrying large amounts of toxic chemicals into the Arctic Ocean, harming wildlife in the region. According to the findings of State of the Arctic Environment, a report compiled by scientists from eight Arctic nations and published recently in Norway, these rivers contain hundred times more polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS) and

Lessons for Ludhiana

IT TOOK 50 years for the Municipal Corporation (MC) of Ludhiana to shake off its stupor and gear up to rid the city of garbage accumulated over these years. Although better late than never, authorities now realise that the powerful industrial lobby of the city - one of the most industrialised in the country - are loathe at spending adequately to

TOXIC LEGACY

The state of Virginia is going to sue the US government demanding US $1.5 million as its share ofthe money spent so far and for future expenses required for cleaning up the pollution caused by a rayon fibre factory. The state has alleged that the federal government was aware of the pollution problems at the factory for years but it did nothing to check them. The factory was closed down due to financial and environmental problems in 1989, leaving behind a vast toxic sludge on the banks of the Shenandoah river. So far, the federal government has spent US $25 million to clean the factory site.

CYNIDE SPILL

Three Guyanese citizens have filed a case against the Canadian mining company Cambior in the superior court of Quebec, Canada, for the environmental damage caused by the leakage of 3.2 billion litres of cyanide-laced waste into Guyanese rivers in August l995. The spill took place when the wall of a pond containing the mining waste broke at the Onto gold mine, a joint venture between Cambior and the Colorado-based Golden Star. The waste was carried into the Omai river which joins the Essequibo. Guyana's main waterway, killing hundreds of fish and affecting thousands of people

Toxic turnover

River of sorrow

Pesticides and industrial runoff all along the river Yamuna have turned its water into poison. This is one of the key findings of Homicide by Pesticides , the latest publication of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi. The book was released by the Leader of the Opposition and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on February 18 at the WWF Auditorium, New Delhi. Also present on the occasion were formerChief Justice of India P N Bhagwati, former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research V Ramalingaswami and CSE director Anil Agarwal.

The French connection

Troubles over water treatment don curious colours. In January 1997, Lyonnaise des Eaux, France's largest water distribution company, did the unexpected: It sued the government for failing to meet European Union (EU) directives on the maximum permissible level of nitrates in one of the rivers of the nation.

Draining Delhi

There are a total of 19 drains in Delhi. Of these, three discharge into the Agra canal, one into downstream Yamuna and 14 into the Delhi segment of the river. Nearly 2,800 million litres daily (MLD) of sewage/industrial effluents containing 200 tonnes (t) of BOD and 160 t of suspended solids enter the river every day through the 11 drains which are monitored. The Najafgarh nullah contributes around 60 per cent of the discharge and about 40 per cent of BOD load in the Yamuna. The Shahadara nullah is responsible for another 20 per cent flow and 24 per cent BOD load.

Yamuna's DDT overload

A study carried out by H C Agarwal, P K Mittal, K B Menon and M K K Pillai of the department of zoology, University of Delhi, published in August 1985, traced DDT residues in water, bottom sediments and certain organisms from four different sites in the river. Total DDT residues ranged from 0.04 to 3.42 microgram per litre in water; 0.007 to 5.63 milligram per kg (mg,kg) in bottom sediments; 0.05 to 15.24 mg,kg in various invertebrates and 0.54 to 56.31 milligram per kg in fish.

Delhi, The biggest culprit

"Round-the-clock monitoring by a network of zonal laboratories and a central laboratory ensures water quality. In Delhi, where people are very vocal, we cannot afford to be lax even for a moment," claims a dwssdu spokesperson. However, Delhi itself is the Yamuna's biggest polluter.