The release of dirt, garbage, sewage water in Naag river throughout the river stretch from its starting point near Ambazari lake to its ‘sangam’ with Pili Nadi near Bharatwada in East Nagpur, one realises the issue can never be resolved. It is an example of sheer apathy. The neglect since long has led to problem getting aggravated. It is the public and authority nexus that has decided not to transform the Naag ‘nullah’ to the Naag river. Here, everyone is culprit. The Government did nothing except announce various projects. The nightmare of September 23, 2023 is still fresh in the mind of the citizens, when more than half of the Nagpur faced the wrath of the flood. But the authorities concerned did not learn a lesson. The part of Naag river near Daga Layout, from where the problem began, is more or less still the same.

 

 

 

 

The wall is still broken from where Naag river water can enter the localities nearby. Dirt and garbage still blemishes the banks of Naag river. Pili Nadi joins Naag river near Bharatwada and both flow silently without anybody caring for them. The garbage, left-over food material, sewage water etc is being released by the citizens of Nagpur and it has become the norm. On one hand, the newly-formed Bharatiya Janata Party Government in Delhi has immediately taken charge and started the project ‘Clean Yamuna’, but on the other hand, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation has been cleaning Naag river for the last 20 years--of course on paper. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself asking the civic body in 2022 during his Nagpur visit either to rejuvenate or clean the Naag river, shockingly no step was taken except the survey.

 

The sources in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) say, the tender process is likely to start in March after which the actual work would begin. This is what the authorities have been announcing for more than 20 years now. ‘The Hitavada’ team visited to check the reality as to whether the authorities are really doing something or not. The team visited the entire stretch from near Ambazari lake to Bharatwada. After Bharatwada, one comes near Prajapati Nagar where a lot of construction work is going and the debris too is being dumped in the Naag river. Here, the ‘nullah’ is surrounded by several small scale industries whose effluents are released in it. When one looks into the nullah, one witnesses the emergence of the chemical particles from inside the water flowing over the surface. This paints a very sad picture. The water is getting contaminated and when one sees the process, one realises the intensity of the issue. Will it ever be resolved and can we see a clean Naag river flowing through the city, is the question one is left asking oneself.

 

The situation of garbage being dumped in the river is same everywhere. Garbage can be seen stuck to the pillars of bridges on Naag river in the entire city from wherever it flows. At some places, NMC has installed tall iron nets on the bridge to prevent people from dumping garbage into the Naag river. It failed to prevent people from throwing waster material inside the river. In fact the people of civic authority alone have been caught red-handed while throwing waste material inside the river. It was exposed by ‘The Hitavada’. People do get to see the condition of Naag river at major roads, but there are some who watch it helplessly from close vicinity. For example, the river also flows through Nandanvan slum where people reside in congested homes, some houses are on the bank of it. Government and civic body both realised that rejuvenating the Naag river is a bit difficult as the sewage water was to be prevented from entering into the river.

 

Thus the Naag River Pollution Abatement project was started. The objective of the Project is to prevent and improve the pollution of rivers and improve hygienic environment of residents in the catchment area of River Nag, Pohra and Pili River in Nagpur city, by carrying out construction of sewerage treatment plants and public sanitary facilities, thereby contributing to the improvement of poverty and environmental issues. A major initiative, aimed at cleaning up the Naag River in Nagpur, is by constructing sewage treatment plants (STPs), laying extensive sewer lines thereby improving the water quality and hygiene of the surrounding area. This project is primarily focused on managing wastewater from both domestic and industrial sources entering the river. Central Government, Maharashtra Government and NMC will have 60:25:15 per cent share respectively as far as its cost is concerned. According to sources, Central Government has allocated its share of Rs 1,115 crore.

 

After an exercise that began in early January in 2024 to appoint consultant for the project completed in September when Nagpur Municipal Corporatoin inked pact with Tata Consulting Engineers Limited. Tata is looking after as Project Management Consultant (PMC). A very senior officer, on condition of anonymity, told ‘The Hitavada’, “Whatever happened in the past should not be taken into account. Now, Government and civic body both are serious enough as the work for tender processing has got momentum. Once project begins, it will take at least 8 years to complete. Otherwise also, the time frame finalised is of 88 months.” Whatever this officer said is right. It means that the actual work has not begun. In 2023, half of Nagpur was overwhelmed when the rain fury struck. The blame was to be put on Nagpur Municipal Corporation which did not take steps in time despite a lot of warnings from the experts. It still has not taken any measures to prevent such flood. To the fortune of civic body, city did not witness heavy rain like it had that year. Take example of Daga layout where the intensity of the flood was highest. Though NMC did dig the nullah, the wall is still in a broken condition. Some superficial work is visible but it is not progressing except for one excavator which is lying at the spot.

 

The width of the bank of the Naag river near Ambazari crematorium is increased by demolishing a huge wall and cutting some big trees. Some work is going on giving an impression that the authorities are taking some measures. But it is not true. The major loophole is no plan is chalked out yet as to what exactly needs to be done.

 

Solution to Eichhornia problem ‘The Hitavada’ first brought to the notice of the authorities that the dreaded weed Eichhornia exists in Naag river too. The ‘Green Vigil Foundation’ Founder Kaustav Chatterjee sent a solution to the issue. In his statement sent to ‘The Hitavada’, he stated, “Eichhornia crassipes reproduces both vegetatively and sexually, which spreads rapidly under favorable temperature and nutrient conditions. Stolon buds develop that bear offshoots from axillary buds. Water hyacinth can produce up to 3,000 seeds per plant. Naag river is basically carrying sewage, which is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, which act as suitable substrate for water hyacinth, resulting in mushrooming of the plant. This year, growth of Eichhornia in Ambazari lake and Naag river is at an alarming level as compared to previous years, which calls for an investigative research study.

 

Controlling the growth of Eichhornia is a challenging task. Considering the present growth of Eichhornia, manual cleaning needs to be supported with chemical and biological cleaning. Application of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) Bispyribac, Diquat, Imazamox have proved the most effective chemical control, especially if applied during hot weather. Biological treatments include application of Chinese grass carp (Ctenopharyngo idella and hybrids), as well as Tilapia melanopleura and T. mossambica. Neochetina beetle that eat water hyacinth can be used as biological controls to manage the plant's spread. Chemical & Biological agents can be applied for cleaning out water hyacinth for Nag river but may not be suitable for Ambajhari lake as these agents might negatively affect the water quality.”