Trash floods Punjab's Nangal hydel canal, sparks drinking water concerns

Huge amount of plastic waste and other trash in the Nangal hydel canal has people worried here as many drinking water schemes rely on it.

The trash can be seen up to 6 km from Nangal town, from where the canal starts.

The canal runs for 64 km from Nangal to Ropar, thereafter it joins the Bhakra main line canal, which takes the Sutlej waters to adjoining states.

The issue has come to the fore amid reports that around 100 boars were found dead due to the consumption of toxic water in the Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary in March.

The sanctuary receives water from the Nangal Dam reservoir, from where the hydel canal and other water bodies originate.

According to officials of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which looks after the canal, the trash flowing into the Sutlej from upstream areas generally gets collected at Nangal Dam, where it is removed.

However, this time, it crossed the gates of the dam and flowing into the canal, an official said without citing the reason for it.

“The trash is being removed by the BBMB staff at the Raipur super passage,” the official said.

Meanwhile, an official source blamed people for adding trash to canals, apart from biodegradable waste such as material from plants and animal sources that the river and its tributaries pick along the way.

Several officials tasked with managing BBMB canals said they had to hire contractors to remove trash and it was affecting power plants in Ganguwal and Kotla hydro power houses, situated over the water bodies.

Meanwhile, several people were seen standing along the Nangal hydel canal to observe the trash. Many videos showing it surfaced on the social media too.

Suresh Kumar, a resident of Nangal, said it was for the first time that people had seen so much trash flowing into the canal.

“The hydel canal always had clean water flowing into it,” he said.

Amrit Sharma, another resident, said water for many drinking water and irrigation schemes for many villages was drawn from the canal.