By
Praveen Bhardwaj
MEMBER HINDON ACTION COMMITTEE
Project Director, Environment and Social Development Association, Delhi
The Hindon River, a tributary of Yamuna River originates in the Saharanpur District from Upper Shivalik in Lower Himalayan Range. Hindon have great mythology. The Hindon previously known as Harnandi means Hari (God Vishnu) River. Near Sardhana lies the ancient Mahadev Temple that is believed to be dating from the Mahabharata period, and where the Pandavas prayed before leaving for the Lakshagrih, the notorious palace made of lac by Duryodhana, at the confluence of the Hindon. The River and its tributaries, Kali and Krishni River, traverses for about 400 kilometres (250 mi) through seven districts of Uttar Pradesh i.e., Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar before joining Yamuna river at its confluence point. The river is entirely rain fed. The river Hindon is one of the important rivers in Western Uttar Pradesh (India) having a basin area of about 7000 km2 . The Hindon River has been a major source of water to the highly populated and predominantly rural population of Western Uttar Pradesh.
It is a matter of great concern that the Hindon River and its tributaries are now highly polluted and have turned into drains. There are multiple causes for this situation. Industrial entrepreneurship has replaced early stages of human civilization. The water quality of river Hindon further gets deteriorated due to confluence of River Kali and Krishni which receive effluents from water polluting industries supported by untreated municipal wastes. There are 90 villages located on the banks of this Priority-1 polluted stretch of River Hindon from Saharanpur to Ghaziabad. The total population of these villages is 3,80,155 which generate 41.057 MLD of sewage. There are 453 grossly polluting industries (Sugar, Pulp & Paper, Distillery, Textile, Slaughter House, Tannery etc.) located in the catchment area of the present stretch of Hindon river.
The point sources contributing to river Hindon have very high organic pollution deteriorating water quality of the river Hindon. The river Hindon is subjected to varying degree of pollution caused by numerous untreated and/or partially treated waste inputs of municipal and industrial effluents as assessed by water quality index also. Loss of vegetation, environmental hazards and pollution are inevitable consequences of unplanned developmental activities. Over-abstraction of groundwater and use of chemicals and fertilizers in agriculture are contributing to the deteriorated status of the river. Toxic pollutants ultimately reach the ground water and enter the food chain, thus posing a threat to human health, due to this the river is now on the verge of death as the toxic levels in the river water have reached the extreme levels.
There are mainly three processes that helps in rejuvenation of a river mechanical, nature based solution and hybrid. We have so many great examples to show how the fate of rivers can be change.
It is recommended that either all the point sources should be treated before discharging their wastes into river Hindon and there should be flow augmentation using fresh water through the escapes of Upper Ganga Canal in different stretches of the river at regularly to maintain the quality of the river as it is the life line of the large population living along the river. The Government and civil societies should take initiative for Afforestation, Organic Farming, Waste Management, Ponds restoration and Governance & Participation in the river Hindon basin.