PPCB’s vain bid to whitewash ‘murky’ affairs

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, August 20

The highly polluted Buddha Nullah, considered the bane of the industrial hub of the state, hogged limelight before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) made a desperate bid to paint a ‘rosy’ picture of the drain and efforts underway to further cut down the pollution level.

In a counter statement filed before the Commission, the city-based Council for RTI Activists, the complainant in this case, however, blasted the claims made by the PPCB and pointed an accusing finger towards both the Municipal Corporation and the PPCB for high pollution level in the nullah.

In a complaint (No 430/19/10/2016/OC) filed with the NHRC, Rohit Sabharwal, President, Council of RTI Activists, alleged that water being discharged from the Buddha Nullah into the Sutlej is polluted which contaminates river water and exposes public at large to infection and diseases. The complaint further says that fundamental right of the people to safe/ clean water was being violated as the MC was still discharging untreated effluent into the Buddha Nullah through 12 outlets within the city limits.

Sabharwal said treated water being discharged from Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) into the nullah did not match the prescribed parameters of the PPCB.

“On the one hand the MC has failed to perform its duty of discharging properly treated water into the Buddha Nullah and on the other PPCB has confined its action to issuing notices without taking any legal action as laid down in the relevant Act.”

In a written statement filed on behalf of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Punjab, and the PPCB, the environmental engineer claimed that the Board, being a regulatory body implementing the provision of various environmental laws/ rules in the state of Punjab, was making sincere efforts to ensure that natural resources such as air and water were not contaminated and the wholesomeness of the environment was maintained.

However, at the same time, the PPCB admitted that Ludhiana was the most polluted city of the state and the generation of total domestic effluent in the city was estimated to be more than the installed capacity of the STPs. The statement further says: “Due to old sewerage network, the collection of entire domestic sewage is practically not possible. Hence, the MC has maintained 12 outlets into the Buddha Nullah.”

The claims of the PPCB made regarding STPs seem hollow when viewed in the light of another assertion which says: “It has been further observed that in the treated effluent of STPs at Jamalpur (capacity 48 MLD) and Balloke (152 MLD) – both working on UASB (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket) technology, now considered obsolete, is not meeting the standard prescribed by the Board for the discharge of treated effluent into inland surface water.

The PPCB said: “The MC had already engaged an expert – Engineers India Limited (EIL) to upgrade the sewerage network and capacity enhancement of the STPs. A detailed project report (DPR) has already been submitted by the company to the PPCB.” The Board added that with the finalisation/ implementation of this project by the EIL, the entire sewage will be trapped and treated and no untreated sewage will be discharged into the Budha Nullah. The total estimated cost of the project is around Rs1,338 crore.

Picking holes in the claims made by the PPCB before the NHRC, the complainant said the Board had admitted that 12 outlets were still discharging domestic effluent without treating the Buddha Nullah and further this untreated/ contaminated water was being discharged into the Sutlej.

Alleging that the PPCB had failed to take any worthwhile action against the MC for contaminating the Sutlej, he said from 2014 so far, only notices were served by the Board to the MC and no legal proceedings were initiated which led to the persistent rise in pollution levels in the nullah. The complainant also pointed towards the admission of the PPCB about the STPs being either obsolete or inadequate and also challenged the claim of the Board that only 12 per cent untreated effluent was being discharged into the Buddha Nullah.

Points of effluent disposal into nullah

Guru Nanak Colony, Near CK Processor, Point Source of STP Jamalpur, Point Source Sector 32, Jamalpur, Second drain near Tibba Road, Point Source Mahavir Dairy, Point Source Pritam Dairy, Point Source Tibba Road Disposal, Point Source Upkar Nagar, Point Source 1 (Dairies and colonies), Point Source 2 (Dairies and Colonies), Point Source STP Balloke

Pollution in Buddha Nullah passing through a vast number of city localities has assumed alarming levels during the past few decades, mostly due to the indifference and apathy of the Municipal Corporation and slack enforcement by the Punjab Pollution Control Board. Ludhiana Tribune spoke to a cross section of people staying along the nullah, who hold the opinion that successive governments and local authorities had been neglecting the crucial issue of water pollution being caused by the drain thereby exposing the people to several health risks. This is what they say: 

"Most of the remedial measures for reducing pollution level in the Buddha Nullah and many other projects in this regard remained practically on paper, and over the period, pollution in the drain kept going up. Except for partial cleaning up waste matter and vegetation from the surface of the drain once a while, the authorities failed to realise the gravity of the situation which has been going from bad to worse."

NS Malhi, BJP Councillor, Ward No 31

"I remember that till late ’60s, the water was clean in Buddha Nullah, where people used to take bath and catch fish. With increase in population and settlements coming up on both sides of the drain over the period, the nullah got polluted mostly due to the discharge of untreated sewage and toxic effluent. People residing close to the Buddha Nullah are forced to consume toxic ground water, and at the same time being exposed to many other vector-borne and other diseases."

Shivtar Singh Bajwa, resident of Chander Nagar

"The MC and PPCB should be hauled up for criminal negligence for high pollution level in Buddha Nullah and exposing a vast majority of the population to serious health hazards. Enhancing the capacity of the treatment plants, closing own outlets discharging untreated sewage in the drain and regular cleaning accumulated waste material and vegetation on the surface is the need of the hour."

Arvind Sharma, RTI Activist

"The increasing level of pollution ought to be solely attributed to the MC and the regulatory body - the PPCB, who have failed to augment the capacity of treatment plants. As a result, even now over one dozen outlets are still discharging untreated sewage directly into the Buddha Nullah. The water pollution is not confined only to the drain, but further goes to many other parts of Punjab and even Rajasthan through the Sutlej."

Ajay Inder Singh, Auto Spare Parts dealer, Chander Nagar

"For the past many years, we have not seen any worthwhile activity aimed at cutting down high pollution level in the drain. People staying along the nullah are made to suffer from the outbreak of water-borne and vector-borne diseases. They face foul stench emanating from the dirty water in the drain and contract other serious diseases."

Raj Kumar Raju, resident of Haibowal