Sewage, effluent causing foam in Khari, AMC gets GPCB notice

Ahmedabad: Last week a video of the toxic Khari stream in the eastern part of Ahmedabad went viral. The video showed foam spilling onto the road. A joint team from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) investigated the site and found that sewage was being discharged illegally into an irrigation canal near Ramol toll plaza in Vastral area.This polluted water drains into the Khari stream, causing it to foam.
On April 6 GPCB issued a notice to the AMC deputy municipal commissioner stating that the “discharge of sewage water into the canal must be stopped”. GPCB ordered the immediate closure of the diversion of sewage into the open canal near the toll plaza. This is not the first time GPCB has issued a notice to AMC over pollution of the Khari stream. The civic body was served two notices in Feb over the discharge of sewage and chemical effluent into the stream and the irrigation canal.
“Recently, joint monitoring was conducted by AMC’s additional city engineer and GPCB officials. It was observed that sewage water was being discharged into the open canal near Ramol toll plaza, which eventually joins the Khari River near Mehmedabad Road,” said an AMC official. Foam in Khari was observed near Vivekananda Bridge. GPCB has notified that untreated water be directed to the Vinzol sewage treatment plant.
“Dr T L Patel, GPCB's in-charge regional officer, has written to the inspectors of Vatva, Hathipura, Vivekanandnagar and Ramol police stations on April 6 to increase patrolling and investigate incidents of illegal dumping in the Ramol area,” said a senior GPCB official. The board has requested that police keep watch and take strict action against activities during night that spread pollution in the interiors of Ramol and Hathipura.