Rivers, the soul of Punjab, are calling!

Gunbir Singh

Chairman WWF-India (Punjab)

We Punjabis lose the right to call ourselves by the name if we cannot keep the rivers of Punj-Aab pristine. Industrial pollutants, untreated municipal wastes and farm chemical runoffs are an unholy cocktail being added to our river waters every single day. And yet our regulatory procrastination knows no end. 

In singular instances, we lose millions of aquatic lives, cause irreparable damage to our ecosystems, and put at risk innumerable lives. These are the waters that irrigate our fields, provide food for the population and quench the thirst of humanity inside the state and beyond.

The release of molasses by the distiller at Kiri Afghana village, even if accidental, only confirms its access to the river flows. Further, its history of toxic waste release is well known in the area, and so is the browbeating of those who poke concern. More worrisome is the fact that hundreds of such access points, into the rivers and waterways of Punjab, exist right under the noses of the relevant authorities, which continue to run havoc on ecology.

This present incident has not just liquidated the aquatic populations of the area, but also depleted the water of oxygen, raised the PH levels and added a massive dose of toxins. The repercussions shall be to the environment and the populations downstream. A thorough enquiry into the present case thus is indeed merited, including earlier history of the pollutant, and reasons as to why the regulators have been looking the other way. Such cases require to be tracked till time-bound remediation happens, failing which units are sealed for good. 

More so is the crying need for a monitoring the Task Force which spots, documents, and is empowered to warn polluters and recommended action. This requires to be of the nature of an empowered advisory, overseeing woefully uninspired regulators of the present. An advisory of non-political watchdogs of society, community and ecological torchbearers, in service of natural assets of public import is needed.

Early last year also the sudden stoppage of water flows for desilting operations had killed lakhs of water species. The present incident and other lurking possibilities endanger the dolphins and gharials as well, which are under global watch. A census conducted at the beginning of this month by the state government in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) confirmed the sightings of dolphin calves which showcased a growing population of this unique sub species of the blind Indus dolphin called Platanista Gangetica Minor. 

This species was first spotted by the conjoined WWF and Forest Dept teams in 2007, though they were known to have gone extinct in the region many decades ago. The Punjab Government has been avidly promoting the introduction of gharials as well in order to improve the biodiversity of the wetlands. In three tranches, nearly 50 gharials have already been introduced and are being monitored regularly. All these efforts and the wealth could have come to naught due to the negligence of individual corporate and state regulators. Thus, evidence of survival may be sweet relief, but exemplary reprimand is merited and a whole-hog policy rehash imperative.

Holistically speaking, even the groundwater levels in the state are precariously low due to overdrawing and feeding thirsty crops. It is these river water sources that will be the sustainable supply of tomorrow. The need is, therefore, acute to refresh our surface water resources not just for the aquatic species, but also for sustenance of the human population of the state. It is also worthy of mention that these river systems - the Beas and the Sutlej — eventually meet downstream at Harike Patan. It is here that the stark reality of a black putrid Sutlej blends with the brown waters of River Beas. These blended waters then continue onwards to feed the requirements of western Punjab and Rajasthan.

Degraded and depleting water resources are a grave challenge to the state. Too much has been thrown under the carpet for too long. Even a proposal called PAANI (Prevention of Attrition to Assets in Nature Initiative) presented in 2008 by this author to the then Chief Minister of Punjab evinced interest, but little action. The negative elements since then have all but snowballed into tragic situations, one of which is being witnessed by us all today. More will ensue unless action is taken to make corrections, monitor and sustain vigil. The colossal loss of fish species this time is evident, repercussions to populations may surface with time.  

Today cleaning up of river systems is attracting hundreds of crores in investment in the country. It is, therefore, opportune to take the plunge for cleaner surface and groundwater resources. The state has over the decades all but failed in rectifying gaps, in creating effective sewage treatment processes, hard waste management and disposal, air pollution improvements or even in checking flows of effluents into freshwater systems. Let us remember that the tragedy this time is aquatic, but tomorrow it may be human, and therefore kneejerk one-time action will not suffice. 

On the one hand is the slumber of the regulatory authorities. On the other is the adept machinery of connivance and impropriety built into the system over the decades. And yet again, most shameful of all is our inherent attitude of being participant in these processes or equally so looking the other way while natural assets are compromised with impunity.

Punjab has for centuries prided itself as the land of five rivers. It has already lost two to the partition of the subcontinent. It is time that we rethink our right to the name if we cannot therefore keep the remaining rivers and their sources clean.