Lifeline of 1 lakh residents, water body turns into garbage dump

Palampur, January 1

The 400-year-old Kirpal Chand ‘kuhl’, one of the oldest water channels in the Palampur region, is facing neglect. The 29-km water stream originates from Dhauladhar hills between Bundla and Garh Jamula and is considered lifeline of over one lakh residents of 100 villages.

No waste disposal facilities

• As no garbage disposal facilities are available, people residing along the banks of the ‘kuhl’ between Bundla and Bhawarna dump waste into the water channel
• In the absence of checks from the IPH Department, the situation is going from bad to worse
• One can see garbage, polythene bags, empty gunny bags and other waste material dumped into the ‘kuhl’ in the area between Aima and Maranda panchayats

The Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department had tapped its water to cater to various supply schemes in the lower areas of Palampur.

Till a few years ago, the water from the ‘kuhl’ was crystal clear. It was used for drinking purpose. However, today it is highly contaminated and is not even suitable for washing clothes.

Environmentalist Poonam Ghalot had filed a PIL in the Himachal High Court a few years ago highlighting contamination of water and other problems caused due to dumping of waste into the ‘kuhl’. The High Court had sought a status report from the district authorities.

It was expected that things would improve with the proposed upgrade of Palampur to a municipal corporation but waste dumping is still going on unchecked.

“This traditional natural resource has turned into a dumping site, but the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and the IPH Department have failed to serve even one notice on the defaulters,” says KB Rahlan, convener of the NGO, People’s Voice.

An IPH Executive Engineer says the government should first create garbage disposal facilities and educate people against dumping garbage into the ‘kuhl’. He says he gets water channel cleaned every year. Over 20 labourers have been deputed to remove garbage from the water channel but people are still dumping waste into it which is a matter of serious concern.

Sullah MLA Vipin Singh Parmar says in 2012, he had got Rs 6 crore sanctioned for covering the water channel between Palampur and Garh. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had laid the foundation stone of the project, but later the Congress government diverted the funds to some other venture.