Govt for treated wastewater irrigation; villagers fear toxic impact

Ludhiana: In this Punjab district, residents of 32 villages bordering polluted drain Buddha Dariya are raising alarm as the state govt considers a plan to use treated wastewater from the dyeing industry for agricultural irrigation.Villagers, who report shortened lifespans and chronic health issues due to industrial pollution, gathered in protest on Saturday, fearing that the “treated” water will bring further risks to their health and livelihoods. Activist groups and local leaders demand accountability from officials and a halt to the scheme, highlighting a long-standing environmental crisis that has eroded trust in the govt’s promises.In a gathering that the Kale Pani Da Morcha activist group had organised, residents of the 32 protesting villages assembled at the river to voice concerns over a govt proposal for redirecting treated dyeing industry wastewater for irrigation. Many of those protesters reported that few people lived past 60 years in their villages, a thing which they attribute to the severe pollution in the Buddha Dariya, their local river impacted heavily by industrial waste.Villagers recalled past floods, which saw untreated water destroy crops within hours, and voiced worries that using treated water for irrigation could have long-term effects on their health and farmland. “By the age of 20, many of us already see grey hair and suffer from various ailments,” said one resident, reflecting a general mistrust rooted in years of unfulfilled promises by successive governments.Kapil Arora, an activist with the Kale Pani Da Morcha, pointed out that existing regulations from 2013 prohibit dyeing industries from discharging even treated wastewater into the Buddha Dariya. Despite this, local dyeing plants have appealed for permission to use this wastewater on agricultural land in nearby villages. “The industry is only creating confusion to delay real action on pollution,” added Amitoj Mann, another activist. He warned the Punjab govt that if it and its pollution control authorities did not abandon this plan by Dec 3, the villagers will take direct action to shut down the industry’s illegal pipes.Jaskirat Singh, another member of the activist group, highlighted discrepancies in an 81-page report recently submitted by the Vidhan Sabha committee on Buddha Dariya, which fails to mention the clearance given to industries. Jaskirat Singh accused the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) of misleading the public and concealing critical details from legislative committees. The group called for the immediate resignation of senior pollution board officials and requested the speaker of the Vidhan Sabha to take swift disciplinary action against them.The situation in Ludhiana district underscores the broader environmental challenges facing Punjab, where efforts to control pollution are often mired in bureaucratic delays and inadequate enforcement, leaving villagers to bear the brunt of industrial expansion at the cost of their health and livelihoods.
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