New Delhi/Chandigarh, December 21, 2024 — Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav has taken note of the escalating pollution levels in the Ghaggar and Budhe rivers following concerns raised by Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu. In response, Yadav has scheduled a high-level meeting for January 19, 2025, to address the issue.
The meeting will include senior officials from the Union Ministry of Environment, Pollution Control Boards from Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, and MP Sandhu, who presented a demand letter to the Minister in New Delhi. The focus will be on devising a strategy to curb pollution and monitor ongoing efforts in these states, which have seen severe environmental degradation.
Sandhu has been vocal about the deteriorating condition of Punjab’s rivers, citing rapid industrialization and urbanization as the main contributors to rising pollution. “The contamination has had serious public health implications, including an increase in cancer cases and other diseases, particularly affecting populations in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.”
The Ghaggar and Budhe rivers are at the heart of these concerns. Industrial effluents, untreated sewage, and agricultural runoff have severely degraded water quality.
Sandhu stressed the particular impact on areas like Derabassi and Patiala in Punjab, and parts of Haryana and Chandigarh, where wastewater from industries, including soap factories, has contributed to the crisis.
The Budhe River, a tributary of the Sutlej, is also suffering from hazardous levels of pollution, including high levels of chromium and arsenic. Industrial activities such as dyeing, electroplating, and steel rolling mills have discharged toxic waste into the river, further exacerbating the problem.
According to a Punjab government report, the water quality of the Sutlej worsens dramatically after it meets the Budhe River, rendering it unfit for human consumption or irrigation.
The pollution has led to significant ecological damage, including the extinction of fish species and a decline in migratory bird numbers.
Sandhu pointed out that about 10 fish species are on the brink of extinction due to low oxygen levels in the water.
He also noted a reduction in the number of migratory birds visiting Ramsar sites in Punjab, which has fallen by 12% compared to previous years.
Besides, farmers are facing severe losses as the polluted water is rendering agricultural land barren, with many unable to grow crops due to contaminated irrigation sources.
The upcoming high-level meeting aims to address these pressing environmental concerns and establish coordinated efforts between the affected states to curb the pollution crisis.
