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PUBLIC HEARING
Eco Friends intends to involve different segments of population affected by the pollution at Ganga in river protection and restoration activities. Increased pollution in the river has adversely impacted different communities in diverse ways. Eco Friends is systematically documenting and highlighting the problems being faced by the Ganga based communities and Ganga pollution affected communities. Also, we are drawing the attention of concerned government agencies, NGOs and civil society organisations so as to facilitate effective steps to address the same.
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Public hearings are organised in order to interface Ganga pollution affected communities with the concerned governmental agencies as also with civil society organisations for speedy remedial action.
On October 6, 2002, Eco Friends organised a Public Hearing on the issue of supply of hazardous irrigation water to the villages of Jajmau and its impact on agriculture and livestock, contamination of drinking water and public health in the area. The irrigation water being supplied is known to have led to widespread contamination of underground water, food crops, drinking water and even milk supplies with hazardous heavy metals including toxic chromium, a known human carcinogen.
The objective of the Jan Sunwai was to identify the impact of the hazardous water on the area and take concrete steps to address the same. An action plan for the same was chalked out on the day of the Jan Sunwai by the concerned villagers themselves.
Besides all affected persons including women and children from the area, concerned departments such as Central Pollution Control Board, Public Health professionals, Jal Nigam, representatives of Agricultural research institutions, peoples
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representatives such as Deputy Mayor, Kanpur Nagar Nigam, representatives of Farmers’ Organisations, local corporators, lawyers, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, (NEERI), experts from different fields including a scientist from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and legal professionals participated in the programme.
Around 2000 men, women and children participated in the programme. Representations and accounts of the different problems being faced by the people of the region were presented to the gathering. Village Report of the team of Eco Friends – Ganga Vahini was also presented on the occasion. The test results of Eco Friends-IIT Kanpur test results were also made public on the occasion. Recently, Eco Friends has in collaboration with Facility for Ecological and Analytical Testing (FEAT), Indian Institute of Technology, conducted extensive tests to ascertain the state of pollution of the river Ganga in and around Ganga as part of its Quarterly Water and Sludge Quality Monitoring Programme.
A brief report of the account and impact of the Public Hearing is available on the website.
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