Srinagar, Dec 16 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir has eight polluted river stretches identified in 2022, according to Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav.
The pollution in these river stretches is primarily attributed to the discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage from urban areas, industrial effluents, improper solid waste management, operational issues in sewage and effluent treatment plants, lack of dilution, and other non-point sources, the minister, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said.
Yadav further said that J&K has one Grossly Polluting Industry (GPI), which is operational and complies with environmental standards. "GPIs are defined as industries discharging effluents into watercourses and either handling hazardous substances or generating a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) load of 100 kg per day or more," he said.
The minister added, "Nationwide, there are 3,519 GPIs and 311 polluted river stretches across 279 rivers, based on monitoring conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2019 and 2021. The CPCB continues to work with State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees to monitor and address these issues."—(KNO)