Effluents polluting water bodies: Govt

In what appears to be a cause for concern, effluents are polluting water bodies across 23 districts in Punjab with impunity, the government has confirmed.

Following the government’s memorandum listing at least 1,223 pollution sources recently, a latest survey by the Drainage Department has further identified 198 more points from where pollutants were flowing into 44 water bodies in Ludhiana. Of these, 84 pollution points have been pinpointed upstream and downstream of Buddha Nullah, a seasonal tributary of the Sutlej flowing in Ludhiana, which is being rejuvenated at a cost of Rs 840 crore, but to no avail. Still, the survey was on to find polluting points of Buddha Nullah within the MC limits.

Calling it as a tip of the iceberg, environmentalist Col Jasjit Gill (retd), who is spearheading a sustained campaign to free Buddha Nullah of widespread pollution, said the government must crackdown on those polluting the environment.

Earlier, only 27 sources of pollution in Ludhiana were among 1,223 points in the state listed in the memorandum sent by Water Resources Principal Secretary Krishan Kumar to all Deputy Commissioners on August 23.

Taking cue of the memorandum, the Drainage Department began a survey of all 44 drains/ water bodies, including Buddha Nullah, passing through Ludhiana district, which further made startling revelations.

In a follow-up action report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the official survey has even identified the entities discharging waste into the water bodies.

Surprisingly, the Drainage Department has reported that except eight pollution points in Bassian drain at Pakhowal, Dhallian, Jalaldiwal, Raikot, Dhurkot and Chakbhai Ka, which were removed on September 13, all other 190 points were still flowing effluents into 43 other water bodies in Ludhiana district.

The report mentioned that most of the dairy units were responsible for polluting Buddha Nullah and despite removing several drainage pipes, the untreated waste was now entering the Sutlej tributary through open channels. “The BDPOs concerned have been repeatedly asked to check flow of effluents but except an FIR lodged at Jamalpur on September 9, no action has been taken so far,” it maintained.

The report has named villages and the entities/ dairy owners who were discharging their waste into Buddha Nullah and other water bodies.

Earlier, the government had marked a maximum of 390 pollution points in Amritsar while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district Sangrur had 159 polluting sources.

“Information has been collected district-wise by the Department of Water Resources on the measures to prevent the pollution in the drains. Many times, the untreated water from villages, municipal committees and other organisations is simply thrown into the rivers and drains which leads to the pollution of water bodies,” Kumar had written.

Terming it as violation of the Water Pollution Act and the Northern India Canals and Drainage Act, 1873, he had urged the DCs to take appropriate action to check pollution of the drains. He had noted that the National Green Tribunal was monitoring the issues on a regular basis.