River pollution

HARYANA  has approached the Centre to stop Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and UP from polluting the Yamuna and Ghaggar rivers. The other rivers in the region — Ravi, Satluj and Beas — also stink. Given the callous neglect of the rivers as well as political apathy and even connivance in the contamination of water resources, it is heartening that at least one minister is seriously taking up the issue. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal too is pushing a Centrally-funded Rs 1,388 crore project to clean the rivers flowing through Punjab, but the results are not yet visible.

There are three sources of river pollution: industrial discharge, municipal waste and chemical runoff from agricultural land. The Haryana minister has taken up the issue of industrial pollution but is silent about the flow of chemical residues from the fields. There is need to spread awareness about the damage caused by the contamination of water resources. Cancer and water-borne diseases are common among people consuming untreated ground or river water. People of Agra get water from the Yamuna carrying all the poisonous waste from Haryana and Delhi.
No one has yet calculated in monetary terms the negative impact of the Green Revolution on human health in Punjab and Haryana. While the rich can use bottled water, the poor lack access both to clean drinking water and healthcare. Instead of spending heavily on medical treatment and water purification it is better to take preventive measures and plug all sources of river pollution — upstream as well as downstream. This requires strong political will – at the Central and state levels — for firm action against the polluters and green taxes to fund the save-environment drive. It is not enough to lodge complaints against the defaulters or make grand announcements for media consumption; politicians must genuinely address the issue.