No action so far, but river action plan pivotal in countering pollution

Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 18

While the NGT has displayed major dissatisfaction with the state government on curbing the flow of effluents in the state and penalisation of erring staff, an upcoming action plan in the state is slated to work on the cleaning of the surface water in the state.

In its upcoming meeting on March 20, the new monitoring committee might also give the go-ahead for the prosecution of officers.

Three action plans have been prepared for the state for the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ghaggar in the state to put into effect the flow of industrial effluents which are responsible for the flow of toxins into the state rivers. Significant part of the Beas tributaries flows through Jalandhar and Kapurthala – with the Holy Bein flowing through Sultanpur Lodhi.

However, with the majority of the STPs (treating these toxin-ridden water wastes) still non-functional and NGT directions being made since 2015 and several monitoring committees failing in implementing these directives – what remains to be seen is whether these new monitoring committees might be able to pull of a feat which the entire state government has failed to implement in the past over a decade.

While the last order of the NGT on the state waters notes dissatisfactory work in ridding the waters of pollutants and total inaction by the state in ensuring the paying of Rs 50 crore fine slapped on the state after the Beas molasses spill last year, the recommendations of the NGT remain unheeded as yet.

None of the officer slumbering during the molasses spill have also been penalised yet. The NGT had also deputed Justice Pritam Singh (retd) as head of the monitoring committee in its order passed on February 28.

Officials say they were waiting for the go-ahead of local bodies to implicate the guilty official.

NGT observations on state waters

“During testing of samples, water quality have been found to be toxic inter alia with chromium, nickel and zinc. Various study reports have been published in journals. River Sutlej also finds mention in the identified polluted river stretches based on the data compiled by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).”

The NGT noted: “The Tribunal has also directed recovery of compensation from regulatory bodies themselves for their failure and also furnishing of performance guarantees, conducting performance audit of the regulatory bodies and review their manning by suitable persons since the existing mechanism is far from satisfactory.”

OffcialSpeak

Coordinator of the Beas Action Plan in the state Environmental Engineer Harbir Singh said: “Our task in the coming days is to stop pollutants from all treatment plants falling into the river. We have been asked to stop it. The Beas enters Punjab from Talwara where the water is of B quality but when it crosses Mukerian and Pathankot, it becomes C quality. After dilution, it wavers between B or C. The target we have got from the CPCB is to maintain its B Quality. Biologial pollutant F Coli (fecal coliform) is the greatest threat to cleanliness of the river. F Coli is over 800 in the river while the B quality value is 500.”

Speaking about penalisation of officials responsible for polluting the Bein, Singh said: “Action has started. A meeting has been proposed on Wednesday for the new monitoring committee. Prosecution has been approved by the board of violators of various treatment plants. Officials only have to take permission from the local government. We are currently waiting for these permissions.”