34 factories in Bijnor, Amroha to be monitored to check Ganga pollution during Magh Mela

Bijnor: Around 34 factories situated near the tributaries of the Ganga in Bijnor and Amroha districts will be strictly monitored with cameras so that these do not discharge toxic effluents and other wastes and pollute the holy river during the Magh Mela in Prayagrag.The move comes after UP govt issued directions to authorities concerned to prevent water pollution in the Ganga and its tributaries ahead of the scheduled bathing dates, starting Jan 3 to Feb 15 next year. A large number of devotees is expected to take the holy dip in the Ganga.Of the 34 factories, including distilleries, sugar mills, paper mills, etc, 22 are in Bijnor and 12 are in Amroha districts.A meeting of PCB was held on Monday, and a file for the same was sent to the respective district administrations to constitute a monitoring panel, which will keep a close watch on the discharged effluents and will ensure pollution-free Ganga for the devotees.Regional officer of UP Pollution Control Board (PCB), Umesh Chandra Shukla, said, "A special team is being constituted to monitor all industries at different intervals during Magh Mela. PCB has already issued notices to these factories not to discharge effluents into the rivers.Meanwhile, UPPCB officials claimed that all factories located close to the rivers in these two districts are zero-discharge factories. The monitoring team will check whether they are operating effluent treatment plants (ETF). Besides, PCB will keep a close watch on their discharge points with the help of cameras.The major tributaries of the Ganga include the Malan, Gagan, Baan, Chhoiya, Ramganga, etc and several huge drains linked to these rivers. Most of the industrial units are located on the banks of these water channels, which are said to be the main source of water pollutionin.