Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Ropar, Dinesh Chadha, raised serious concerns on Saturday regarding the discharge of untreated industrial effluents and sewage from Himachal Pradesh’s Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt into the Sirsa River, which subsequently flows into the Sutlej. Addressing a press conference, the legislator stated that field inspections revealed multiple drains carrying pharmaceutical waste, acids, and untreated chemical effluents directly into Punjab’s primary water sources. He declared that the continued contamination upstream poses severe public health risks and contributes to rising health hazards, including cancer, across affected regions in Punjab.
Highlighting systemic gaps in industrial compliance, the Ropar MLA pointed out that out of approximately 1,000 liquid-waste-generating industries in the BBN cluster, only 377 units route their effluents to the Common Effluent Treatment Plant. He added that Baddi’s municipal sewage infrastructure remains severely under-equipped, operating a 5 MLD treatment plant against an estimated requirement of 32 MLD. Confirming that he has moved the National Green Tribunal to seek enforcement measures from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and central authorities, the legislator affirmed that Punjab cannot safeguard its river ecosystems while upstream states fail to regulate industrial and municipal waste management.
