Over 1,200 sources polluting water bodies in Punjab, reveals govt report

In a startling revelation, the state government has identified at least 1,223 sources that have been polluting the water bodies of Punjab with impunity.

As per a report released by the Department of Water Resources recently, while the maximum of 390 pollution points have been marked in Amritsar, CM Bhagwant Mann’s home district Sangrur has 159 sources — the second highest — that are causing water pollution.

In a memorandum to all Deputy Commissioners on August 23, Krishan Kumar, Principal Secretary, Water Resources, has shared the report and sought action to check the pollution of water bodies in their respective districts.

Claiming that the action follows his taking up the matter with the Principal Secretary, an environmentalist, Col Jasjit Gill (retd), who is spearheading a campaign to free Buddha Nullah — a Sutlej tributary in Ludhiana — of widespread pollution, said the report was an eye-opener. “Now, we have to get the names of the polluters,” he said.

Kumar stated that this was a violation of not only the Water Pollution Act, but also the Northern India Canals and Drainage Act, 1873. “Information has been collected district-wise by the Department of Water Resources on the measures to prevent the pollution in the drains. Many times, the untreated water from the villages, municipal committees and other organisations is simply thrown into the rivers and drains which leads to the pollution of water bodies,” he has written.

Sharing the list of district-wise cases, the Principal Secretary has urged the DCs to take action by directing the panchayats, municipal committees, and other organisations of their district not to pollute drains and rivers, either by dumping garbage or discharging untreated water.

“It is also apprised that the National Green Tribunal is monitoring the issue on a regular basis,” Kumar added.

The other identified sources of pollution are: Barnala (59), Bathinda (44), Faridkot (42), Fatehgarh Sahib (29), Fazilka (2), Ferozepur (15), Gurdaspur (14), Hoshiarpur (15), Jalandhar (82), Kapurthala (44), Ludhiana (27), Malerkotla (51), Mansa (46), Moga (19), Muktsar (16), Pathankot (1), Patiala (66), Ropar (31), Mohali (46), Nawanshahr (14), and Tarn Taran (11).