Soiled for decades, efforts begin to bring Bist-Doab Canal back to life

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 5

The district administration has ordered the constitution of a joint panel comprising officials from the Municipal Corporation, Irrigation and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to deal with the waste in the distributaries of the Bist-Doab Canal crossing from the various parts of the city.

Crystal clear once, people from the nearby areas used to take a dip in it. Also nicknamed as the ‘DAV nehar’, as the time passed and industries came in, the water and the clear space of the channel was reclaimed by industrial pollution coupled with tonnes of waste and garbage from residential and industrial areas. The administration’s declaration regarding the clearing of the canal of garbage has given a ray of light as the canal was riddled with filth for decades.

Presiding over the meeting of the District Environment Committee in the District Administrative Complex, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) (Development) Vishesh Sarangal asked the officials of three departments to conduct the survey in the entire 10-km area around distributary of the Bist-Doab Canal and give a comprehensive report over the menace.

On being informed by PPCB that distributary has become a garbage dumping site, the Additional Deputy Commissioner asked the officials to also start challaning those responsible for dumping garbage here. Besides, Vishesh Sarangal told them to also run an intensive awareness drive in the areas surrounding the distributary to sensitise the people for maintaining cleanliness.

The ADC asked the officials to submit the inspection report to his office so that action would be taken to tackle the pollution in the distributary. Further, he told them to take strict action those who found burning the garbage which creates pollution in the environment.

He said the Punjab Government was committed towards the holistic development of the city and prosperity of the people and no stone would be unturned for the cause. Sarangal also took stock of progress of Sewage Treatment Plant (STPs) projects and asked the officials to complete all works at the earliest.

The ADC also asked the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department to make a strategy to ensure none of the farmers indulge in the stubble burning in the upcoming wheat harvesting season. He asked officials to give ‘top priority’ to the environment so that we can give a safe future to the coming generations. He said there was a need to give fillip to the overall development of the areas.