End water wastage, make treatment plants at Kali Bein rivulet, Kala Singha drain functional: MP Balbir Singh Seechewal

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 14

Padma Shri Balbir Singh Seechewal today said he was ready to raise the issue of the dysfunctional sewage treatment plants installed along the Kali Bein rivulet and Kala Singha drain with the present state government. The eminent environmentalist, who has been running anti-river pollution campaign in the state for years now, paid obeisance at the Golden Temple.

Addressing mediapersons, he said the reason why most of the localities near the Kala Singha drain were still getting polluted water was because of the lifting of water beyond the capacity of treated water.

“The treated water capacity is somewhere around 135 litre per head, while the water being drawn stands around 300-315 litre per head. When the water drawing capacity is double the capacity of treated water, there is a chance of untreated water being released in the drain. We have been raising this issue for years now and had earlier too brought this to notice that STPs are not functioning properly,” he said.

Seechewal, who was celebrated globally for his work on redemption of Kali Bein, a holy rivulet that was reduced to a drain due to industrial and domestic pollutants, said he was ready to take up this matter with the new government. “Paani mukk reha, paani sukk reha. (Water is depleting and drying up). We need to act right now if we want to save the environment for our future generations. There is excessive wastage of water in the state and the authorities have failed to stop it. This has to be stopped,” he added.

Hailing the decision on the Mattewara forest, he said, “We need to understand a simple fact that we require oxygen to breathe and trees are the easiest and cheapest source. Plantation must be done at large scale and forests everywhere must be protected.”

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