A dismal future ahead

Aman Sood in Patiala

None of the rivers flowing through Punjab falls in the category A. That means none carries water fit for drinking. Water pollution has been a poll issue in the last two elections, but little has changed on ground. In fact, there are points where the condition of rivers has deteriorated further to the category E. Waterways in Punjab, the land of five rivers, seem doomed.

The May disaster, when a large number of fish were found dead in the Beas following release of molasses into the river, proved to be an eye opener. It brought the focus to the state of our rivers. Following this, Chadha Sugar Mill at Kiri Afghana in Gurdaspur was sealed and fined Rs 5 crore. Officials from the departments of Forest and Wildlife Preservation and Water Resources, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have now submitted an action plan report to the PPCB. The action plan is to be implemented over a period of five years so that sustainable results can be achieved. As per the plan, Rs 3.6 crore is needed to replenish the prey base by releasing fish seedlings into the river.

However, this action plan is for the Beas, which still has the potential to improve its water quality and sustain aquatic life. The state government is yet to come up with a concrete plan and budget to save the other rivers that are replete with toxins and continue to be neglected.

Last year, the apex court asked the pollution control boards to ensure that all industrial units across the country set up effluent treatment plants (ETP) or face closure. However, the boards still seem reluctant to act. “There is no new industry coming. Also, shutting down a unit means loss to owners and unemployment in the area. However, we are trying to exert continuous pressure to ensure that erring units set up ETPs,” said a senior environment officer.

The state has as many as 3,500 industrial units, with a majority of them claiming to treat waste water before releasing it. However, the industry is not the only problem for a small state like Punjab, which currently has three flowing rivers. The Punjab local bodies department remains the oldest and regular river pollutant with corporations and councils in almost all cities, villages and towns throwing untreated waste into the rivers.

At present, 87 sewage treatment plants (STPs) are operational in 67 cities of the state, but only 15 of these meet the water quality norms after treatment, primarily due to limited funds to run these STPs. As many as 99 cities are yet to set up STPs. The major cities that have polluting water channels include Jalandhar, Amritsar, Zirakpur, Mohali and Ludhiana, where only two out of the five STPs meet the water quality target.

On its part, the Punjab Pollution Control Board sends periodic reminders to the local bodies department. “We would also be imparting training to the staff deputed at these STPs. We regularly tell them to ensure that all STPs are in working condition,” PPCB chairman Kahan Singh Pannu says.

Though the quality of water in most of the rivers falls in category B or C (fit for drinking only after treatment and disinfection), pollution owing to untreated sewage flowing into these water bodies is on the rise. Water samples collected at certain points on the Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Ghaggar are of poor quality and fall in the category E. This has the wildlife department worried. Officials say they are trying their best to save whatever little life is there in these rivers, except the Beas, where aquatic life is still rich.