MUMBAI, Dec 10: Environmentalists have questioned the classification of State rivers and river basins made by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) in its River Policy, arguing that in the absence of a thorough study of the present status of the rivers and an exhaustive list of industries that can or cannot be allowed in its precincts, the policy leaves loopholes for exploitation.

Pranay Lal of the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG), who had recently met state government officials found it hard to believe that the first stage of rivers (A1) as classified by the MPCB will not need conventional treatment, as enunciated in the report. With the MPCB classifying this stretch as a drinking water source from the point of origination to the first dam or weir, Lal fears that municipal bodies could cite the policy for not undertaking any treatment of the waters, even if polluted. "Across the country, only about one per cent of river origins could fit the A1 category, as more and more river sources are getting contaminated," he said pointing out that many springs and tributaries that originate upstream are found to be contaminated with pollutants.

MPCB officials however do not share his view. "At the moment, one can say that by and large most of the rivers in the state have a clean origin," said an official closely involved with the formation of the policy. The MPCB had recently submitted a comprehensive River Policy to the State government, classifying the rivers, and bringing out guidelines for locating industries in the state. Already, some rivers like the Godavari, the Patalganga, Krishna and riverine stretches in MIDC areas like Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune are heavily polluted. Despite the administrations of the MPCB, monitoring leaves much to be desired and MPCB officials agree that pollutants can be dumped into the river in the night without any body being the wiser.Describing the classification of the rivers was based on their "best uses", the official also sought to clarify the discrepancy where some rivers did not seem to have an A3 category (for fish and wild life propagation). "With rivers like the Pawana in Pune, which just does not have a flow, there are no A3 categories," said the MPCB official. The SW-II category, not described in the policy, are mainly for rivers in the Konkan region which have saline waters, he added.

Yet, not underrating the honourable objectives of the Pollution Board, BEAG activists have proposed a longer distance for the A3 category and are surprised that groundwater has not been taken as a criteria for the location of the industries. "Even if the industry is located at a distance from the river, effluents dumped into the soil could reach a high groundwater level which could contaminate the river," said Lal. He added that the results were confirmed by the Centre of Science and Environment where a major source of contaminants were found to be effluents dumped into the soil. The MPCB official however denied the possibility of this scenario. "We are in no way relaxing the standards for effluent treatments for industries. Whether eight or ten kms away from the river, the existing standards of treatment will be maintained," he said. Environmentalists have also found fault with the categorisation of the industries which can be allowed in certain zones. The MPCB has drawn out a list of green, orange and red industries in an ascending order of hazardous waste potential, allowed within certain limits of the rivers. Accordingly, no industries are to be allowed within three kms of the first stretch of the river, and only green industries and notified "orange" industries will be allowed between three to eight kms.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.