Halt use of surfactants: Former legislator

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 30

The Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action (ICELA), J&K Chapter, convenor, and former legislator Ashok Sharma, has urged the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to immediately halt use of surfactants in synthetic /chemical detergents and discharge of waste in lakes, rivers, wet lands in the UT to save human and aquatic life.

He urged the Central Government to constitute an independent expert committee to determine the extent of damage caused to water bodies due to pollution caused by synthetic detergents and suggest alternatives, which can replace chemical detergents.

“Synthetic chemical detergents have polluted several water bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, including Dal Lake, Nagin lake, Jhelum River, Manasbal lake, River Jammu Tawi, Basanter River, Devika River Udhampur, River Chenab, ManawarTawi, Ranbir Canal, Surinsar-Mansar lakes and wet lands,”said Sharma.

He asked the Central and J&K Pollution Control boards and Mayors of Jammu and Srinagar to take immediate steps in this regard.