The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) on Friday said the initiatives taken under the Ganga Action Plan were not enough to reduce pollution in the Ganges river. According to Binay Kumar Dutta, Chairman of WBPCB, lack of proper planning and poor enforcement are mainly responsible.
He was speaking at a seminar on solutions to the environmental threats.He pointed out that the filling up of wetlands and the growing number of heat islands have contributed largely to the decline in ground water levels in cities.
For example, he said, the ground water level in the central business district of Kolkata went down by more than 10 metres and the recharge zone has been covered by solid layers due to rapid urbanisation.