Rajat Banerji | November, 2002

The River Subarnarekha literally translates into "streak of gold". But the only streaks in this river are untreated sewage, industrial and mineral wastes and unbelievably, radioactive wastes affecting human health, according to Rajat Banerji, managing editor of www.cleanganga.com

	Radioactive wastes in Indian rivers is an undocumented environmental tragedy in India

This once-pleasing river originates in the Chotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand in eastern India and finally enters the Bay of Bengal after a 452 km journey. Along the way, it courses a picturesque countryside, plunging 74 metres at Hundrugargh.

Though there are 15 water quality monitoring stations, the Subarnarrekha is a receptacle of wastewater (urban as well as industrial) from three major townships - Jamshedpur, Ranchi and Ghatsila. Organic pollution loads from the countryside pollute equally.

Human deformities
Uranium ore tailings from the Jaduguda mines operated by Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL), causes various degrees of radioactivity along a 100 km stretch. This has resulted in documented cases of deformities among human beings, but, the Indian scenario being what it is, precious little has been done for them.

"UCIL alleges that the deformities are not unusual to the Indian rural scenario," says Manish Tewari, a journalist who had traveled to Jaduguda from Delhi. "It alleges that the uranium and deformity link is a creation of the media," he says, unbelieving.

Curiously, no studies have been commissioned to check on the veracity of these reports and possible linkage with uranium. It's all conveniently swept under the carpet. Reports would always remain confidential in any event, because uranium ore is strategic to national security. Anything related to nuclear science is treated as a holy cow that cannot be questioned.

See no evil, know no evil
Like all severely polluted rivers in India, the Subaranarekha has received funds from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF). Under the national river action plan, the basin has obtained Rs 32.22 crores (US $ 6.6 million). This has basically been used to set up sewage treatment plants in the three basin cities.

"Pollutants from industries and mines come under the purview of pollution control boards," says advisor in the MEF, R.K. Sharma. "It's the job of the Jharkhand Pollution Control Board to ensure that wastewater from industries and mines does not exceed designated permissible limits," he adds.

In other words, the central government does not see beyond untreated sewage. The lot of rural masses affected by radioactive wastes remains one of the many undocumented environmental tragedies played out, day after day, in our country.

Rajat Banerji is managing editor of cleanganga.com