Shimsha river water not fit for drinking: KSPCB

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), in its report, has stated that the Shimsha river water was not fit for drinking.

About 80 lakh litres of chemical-laced water was drained into farmland and Shimsha river following the explosion of a boiler at a distillery plant of NSL Sugar Factory in Maddur taluk on November 21.

The KSPCB officials, who visited the spot following the explosion, collected the water samples of the river and sent it for testing. The pollution control board on Friday submitted a report to the competent authority, based on the samples collected on November 23. The board stated that the water was not fit for drinking as it had potassium and sodium content.

According to A Uday Kumar, Senior Environmental Scientist, KSPCB Mysuru division, “The chemical effluents in the water will not have any impact on the wildlife or the aquatic animals, and the water can be used for agriculture purposes and industries. But, the water should not be used for drinking.”

The untreated effluents from the sugar factory had destroyed sugarcane, paddy and ragi on hundreds of acres in Maddur taluk.

The scientist, however, clarified that the waste from the sugarcane factory, if treated on a scientific basis, could be used as manure for agriculture. For every litre of waste, 10 litres of water should be mixed, and the diluted mixture can be used as manure.

Uday Kumar said, the crops were destroyed as lakhs of litres of chemical waste from the sugar factory had sodium and potassium contents. He added, the soil would not be affected by the waste. The report submitted is based only on a day’s sample. A comprehensive report will be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner soon, he said.