Ujjain : A dip in the Kshipra River, once considered an act of Moksha, would today most likely give one a disease. Unrestrained release of sewage and dumping of urban waste has squeezed life out of the river.
A walk along the riverbed is all the evidence one needs to know the state of the river, also known as Vishnuputri. What is shocking is that all this happens in the course of the river that it traverses in the city. Around 18 drains, major and minor included, pour filth into the river. The majority of sewage is dumped into the river between the upstream located near Triveni and its exit point near KD palace.
Scholar rues the choking of river
Scholar Dr Bhagwatilal Rajpurohit, while talking to Free Press said, pollution comes to the river in various forms. For one, the city uses the river as a sink for direct discharge of sewage. Second, its banks have been denuded of vegetation, which causes erosion. To complete the choking, people have even encroached upon the riverbed as the water discharge in the river varies drastically over the seasons. There have been directives from the High Court that disposal of any waste into the river be avoided, yet the Municipal Corporation failed to stop the open disposal of waste.