Residents to protest dumping of waste into Tung Dhab drain

Amritsar, April 28

Residents will organise a human chain and demonstrate against the administration for providing no solution to pollution at Tung Dhab drain here on May 4.

In a letter to the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer, Amritsar, representatives of the Pollution Control Committee stated that people living on both sides of the drain have to bear obnoxious smell. Tung Dhab drain is a storm water drain of the Irrigation Department. The drain has been reduced to a dump where anthropogenic refuse and sewage are thrown allegedly by MC workers, residents of some authorised or unauthorised colonies and chemical residues by some factories.

“Double parallel pipes of 6.50 ft diameter have already been laid and these are big enough to carry any amount of sewage matter from this part of Amritsar to the water treatment plant. No canal or any drain of the Irrigation Department can be used to dump sewage or chemical waste into that but the drain has become a dump for industrial and sewerage waste. Over the years, sewage water and chemicals have seeped down to the depth of aquifers thus polluting the underground water. It was found during the study of the drain by the PGI, Chandigarh, but the local government has failed to stop dumping their chemical waste into it. This has led to mutation of DNA amongst newborn females, tested and found by the national lab of DNA testing,” said Parkash Singh Bhatti, member of the District Pollution committee.

“Now we the affected people have resolved to jointly protest peacefully forming a human chain along Tung Dhab drain on May 4 from 9 am to 10.30 am to show our solidarity to political parties and the departments concerned. We assure that no road will be blocked and no abusive language used except questioning the failure of the authorities and the politicians to deliver the goods,” added Bhatti.