Bhubaneswar: Waters of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers are found to have higher levels of BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand) and TC (total coliform) than the specified levels, informed Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Pradip Kumar Amat today.
Replying to a query from BJD Member Amar Prasad Satpathy, Amat in a written reply said that the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) tests water quality of 11 main rivers flowing through the State at 129 places.
As per the test results of the tests conducted in 2021 (January to December) and in 2022 (January to April) by the OSPCB, the two parameters of BOD and TC were found to be higher than the specified limits in the waters of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers, Amat stated.
The BOD and TC remaining higher than the specified limits are attributed to the discharge of wastewater into the rivers in urban areas and instream use of river water, Amat added.
The Minister has said that the OSPCB has regularly apprised the concerned municipal officers about the pollution of river water and advised them to take steps for making river water pollutant free.
In addition to that concerned district officer, the department of Housing and Urban Development, Public Health Department, and Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) are requested to take steps, he added.
