Villagers oppose move to release polluted water for irrigation

Residents of 32 villages located on the banks of the Buddha Nullah, a Sutlej tributary passing through Ludhiana, on Saturday opposed the government move to release polluted water for irrigation purposes in their fields.

The move came to the fore during the ongoing proceedings before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) wherein the counsel for the polluting industries has submitted that the state government had prepared a scheme to divert the water in the lower Buddha Nullah for providing the irrigation facilities in over 15 villages in the vicinity by lifting the water by use of diesel lift pumps.

Reaching out to aggrieved villagers, the activists of Kale Pani Da Morcha, a civil society movement waging a war on rampant water pollution, met the residents of 32 villages at Walipur — the confluence point of the nullah with the Sutlej.

Activists threaten mass stir

• Civil society movement activists meet 32 village residents
• Threaten mass stir to check widespread pollution in Buddha Nullah
• Seek dismissal of PPCB Chairman, Member Secy for misleading Vidhan Sabha committee

The villagers expressed opposition to the proposal for using dyeing effluent for irrigation purposes and demanded immediate dismissal of all those officers of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), especially its chairman and member secretary, whom they accused of misleading the Vidhan Sabha committee formed to probe the pollution sources in Sutlej tributary.

Strongly opposing any such move, the villagers, backed by the Kale Pani Da Morcha activists, announced to launch a mass agitation for fighting against any such proposal tooth and nail. They also announced that more meetings will be held in the area in coming days to form an organised team to fight this battle.

Addressing villagers, Jaskirat Singh, a founder member of the morcha, said: “It is surprising that the important environmental clearance document that was presented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in the NGT and on the basis of which the PPCB had to order the closure of the entire dyeing industry in Ludhiana, finds absolutely no mention at all in the 81-page report given by the Vidhan Sabha Committee on Buddha Nullah recently.”

“It is abundantly clear from this that the officers of the PPCB are misleading not only the people of Punjab but also the representatives of the people and the members of the committees of the Vidhan Sabha and are hiding these important facts from them,” Jaskirat asserted while demanding dismissal of the PPCB Chairman and Member Secretary for what he termed as “huge blunder and a serious lapse” on their part. He also demanded appropriate action from the Vidhan Sabha Speaker against them.

Kapil Arora said the dyeing industry of Ludhiana was not allowed to release even its treated water into the Buddha Nullah and it was clearly written in the environment clearance they had got in 2013. “These documents, which were hidden so far by the PPCB and the industry, had come to the fore during the ongoing proceedings in the NGT,” he said.

Amitoj Mann of the Morcha said: “We are surprised that the state government and the industry have made this plan without consulting any one in these 32 villages. This plan is not practical and the industry and government only want to waste more time by creating more confusion around this issue.”

He said if the PPCB, the state government and the dyeing industry did not stop the illegal activity before December 3, the people of the state would come forward to close their illegal pipes themselves.

Lakha Sidhana said the entire district in Sriganganagar of Rajasthan was today observing complete bandh against the rampant water pollution. He appealed to the people of Punjab and Rajasthan to reach Ludhiana in maximum numbers to close such illegal pipes on December 3.

Kuldeep Singh Khaira said the NGT, in its order dated November 4, had said if the industry fulfills the conditions of its environment clearance and norms only in those circumstances, the PPCB might not take any strict action against them till the next date of hearing which was fixed for December 2.

“As the industry is clearly flouting both norms and clearance conditions, the PPCB is at liberty to take action if they want,” he argued.