Punjab: Untreated sewage, leather factories polluting Sutlej

Punjab: Angry over alleged discharge of sewage into Sutlej, residents of villages located along the Indo-Pak border in this district are agitated as the polluted water is causing severe health problems. The water discharged from the sewage treatment plant (STP) located at Kunde village is allegedly entering the Sutlej, polluting its water. Sources said that the STP is receiving around 30 mega litres (MLD) of sewage per day against its design capacity of 18 MLD. As a result, treated and untreated water is allegedly going into the Sutlej. When The Tribune visited the STP site, it found that sewage water coming towards the STP was mixing with the treated water discharged from the STP. “Many villagers are facing severe skin problems as they have to wade through the water of the Sutlej at several places to reach their fields located across the fence,” said farmer Maggar Singh. Punjab Singh, a resident of Rau’s Hithar village in Mamdot block, said, “We have been complaining about sewage water being released into the Sutlej. Not just the people of this area, but our brothers from Fazilka and Jalalabad are also getting affected as at some places, the water of the Sutlej is being used for drinking purposes.” Jagwinder Singh, a resident of Dona Telu Mal village, said his village is located close to the Sutlej. “A few years ago, the water of the Sutlej was clean and did not have a pungent odour. In recent years, its condition has worsened due to the release of sewage water,” Jagwinder said. Fauja Singh, a resident of Bhaba Haji village, said, “Apart from skin problems, residents of villages near the Sutlej are also facing bone-related problems, hair loss and other serious health problems.” He said the administration should take the matter seriously. The water of the Sutlej was already getting polluted due to the release of huge amount of toxic water and effluent from tanneries located in and around Pakistan’s Kasur district, famous for Punjabi juttis.

The Sutlej river near the Kasur area enters Pakistan several times and comes back to India. The water is clean before entering Pakistan, but when it comes back, it contains a lot of chemicals. The groundwater of the region is also getting polluted due to the release of chemicals. Karan Singh Dhaliwal, secretary of the Border Kisan Union (Punjab), said these STPs are of no use and people of border areas and especially villages located near the Sutlej are facing serious problems like cancer. “According to the officials, the so-called treated water being released into the Sutlej is not completely free from impurities and is causing a lot of pollution,” he alleged.