Release of drainage waste challenges accolades won by Kham River project

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) has taken the initiative to restore the glory of the Kham River. The cognizance of this initiative was taken at the international level on Tuesday. Accordingly, the Kham River Restoration Mission has been selected as one of the top five finalists for the World Resources Institute Ross Center Prize for Cities. However, it has come to light that the discharging of drainage water into the river is stille continue by some citizens. Surprisingly, the CSMC had shortlisted contractors and had spent crores of rupees to seal all the drainage connections leading into the river.

This year's theme, Accelerating Momentum for Climate Ready Communities, perfectly aligned with the river mission's impressive impact. The Kham River project stood out among a staggering 200 submissions from 148 cities across 62 countries. The city got included in top five finalists along with the projects of New York, Brazil, Argentina and Norway. The development is indeed a matter of pride, but there are few citizens who do not want the river to remain clean and unpolluted.

The contaminated and malodorous water seems to be oozing out from the damaged drainage chambers into the Kham River bed from the localities like Jalal Colony and Hilal Colony situated behind Himayat Baugh. The discharging drainage water is from more than 250 locations in the river bed. Earlier, the CSMC had appointed contractors to stop the release of drainage waste in the river. The officers also claimed of completing the work, but in reality the situation is different and needs to be re-evaluated thoroughly.