Hyderabad: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has approved the action plan prepared by the State government towards the cleaning and restoration of Musi, Nakka Vagu, and Kinnerasani rivers.
After the National Green Tribunal expre-ssed its disappointment in the efforts taken so far by the state government towards protecting the streams and rivers in Telangana state, the government appointed a committee headed by chief secretary S.K. Joshi to study the situation and prepare an action plan to clean up and restore the rivers and streams in phases.
According to the officials, the committee has identified eight rivers (and their tributaries) in the state that need to be restored.
In the plan submitted to the CPCB, the committee has mentioned that river Musi would be cleaned in the first phase, the Nakka Vagu and river Manjira would in the second phase and the Godavari river, including the Karka Vagu in Khammam, would be cleaned in the third phase. In the fourth phase, the restoration of rivers Kinnerasani and Manair will be taken up and in the fifth phase, the restoration of river Krishna be taken up.
Officials said that as part of the restoration activities, the government would identify the industries and other units causing the pollution and then shift them to other locations. It was further declared that effluent treatment plants would be established to discharge the treated water into the river and that the locations to set up said plants would be identified by September. The tenders for the same would be invited in August, said the officials.
It was also pointed out that as part of the restoration programme, a comprehensive plan would be prepared to divert the effluents.
