Parliamentary Panel Recommends Urgent Action to Address Yamuna's 'Profound Ecological Collapse'.

Terming the state of Yamuna as one of ‘profound ecological collapse’, a parliamentary panel, in a new report on water pollution, has recommended addressing systemic issues, including fixing a scientific ecological flow, halting unregulated discharge of industrial waste discharge and putting in place a regime to utilise all wastewater. The report of the department-related standing committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change was tabled inRajya Sabhaon Friday by the panel’s chairperson, Bhubaneswar Kalita. The panel examined wide-ranging issues such as sources of pollution, ecological flow, treatment and discharge of sewage and other wastewater, and the protection of floodplains. After examining the issues, the committee identified several interventions, but key among them were fixing an ecological flow, halting unchecked sewage and effluent discharge into the drains and the river, and recycling of wastewater.