Toxic floodwater from Buddha Nullah submerges Ludhiana

A deluge of chemical-laced floodwater from the Buddha Nullah has left hundreds of homes in Ludhiana submerged, exposing not only the city’s crumbling drainage infrastructure but also the systemic failure to enforce environmental safeguards. 

The toxic overflow — triggered by relentless overnight rainfall — has reignited public outrage and drawn sharp warnings from civic groups about contempt of National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders.

The floodwater, thick with untreated industrial effluents and domestic sewage, surged through densely populated neighbourhoods, including Dhoka Mohalla, Dharampura, Shivaji Nagar, Kashmir Nagar, Maharaj Nagar, Kundanpuri, and the Shingar and Chand Cinema areas.

Residents described waking up to knee-deep black water and an overpowering stench.

“This happens every time it rains heavily,” said Bobby Juneja of Dhokka Mohalla. “Our beds, fridge, chairs — everything is damaged. The government didn’t clean Buddha Nullah properly, even though heavy rainfall was predicted.”

The irony was not lost on citizens when even the Zone B Municipal Corporation office was inundated, forcing staff to salvage documents and equipment with buckets and mops. The flooding of the city’s own civic headquarters became a grim metaphor for administrative paralysis.

In a parallel development, the Public Action Committee (PAC), representing Kale Pani Da Morcha have shot a letter to the Deputy Commissioner and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), warning that reopening dyeing clusters without full compliance with Environmental Clearance (EC) conditions would amount to contempt of NGT orders.

PAC cited the September 1 closure of dyeing units following backflow from the Sutlej and failure of the Bhattian Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). “The same toxic water flooding Ludhiana homes is used downstream in South Punjab and Rajasthan for drinking,” PAC stated, underscoring the regional scale of the crisis.

The NGT’s binding directives — passed in December 2024 — require zero

Liquid discharge from Bahadur Ke CETP (15 MLD), Tajpur Road CETP (50 MLD) and Focal Point CETP (40 MLD). 

PAC warned that any attempt to restart operations without compliance would expose officials to penalties under the NGT Act, 2010, including fines and imprisonment.

“People of Ludhiana are already suffering saza-e-kaala paani,” PAC member Kapil Arora wrote. “The authorities cannot defy NGT and push the city and downstream regions into further poison.”