It may be recalled that much hype about pollution abatement work on River Devika in Udhampur district is going to get transformed into getting the job on it in real terms started by April this year . At least, let us draw satisfaction from the fact that some movement has started taking place in that the Housing and Urban Development Department has directed the Urban Environment Engineering Department (UEED) and the implementing agency to immediately fulfil the conditions laid down by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in this regard.
Since the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the State on February 3, he is expected to lay the foundation stone of the project to be executed under the National River Conservation Plan. It hardly needs any emphasis of the sorts to bring home the importance of these two rivers, viz; River Devika and River Tawi as having religious and spiritual connotations in Jammu. It has been decided to have the actual work on the project started at an early date by April this year. How the project would be designed, how the technical aspects of the project would be fulfilled, the quality of the water tested before and after the work and allied issues are slated to be taken care of by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Moreover, water testing was going to be undertaken by a reputed laboratory. Likewise, sewerage system and the STPs based on proper survey and investigations before execution shall be ensured to achieve economy in the proposal as well as to avoid any shortfall in the design. Whatever further in the execution of the project has to be done, it is learnt, has got to be done by the company strictly in accordance with the designs and technical roadmap provided by the IIT. While we wish and for that matter, everyone related emotionally with these two rivers, would like to see the levels of pollution finally abated. Peoples’ active participation in the project would be more after its completion in the sense not throwing garbage in these rivers that cause pollution in them.
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