An FIR has been lodged against unidentified industrial units in Himachal Pradesh’s Baddi-Nalagarh region for allegedly discharging toxic waste into the Sutlej river, prompting environmental concerns in Punjab. The complaint was filed by Ropar AAP MLA Dinesh Chadha, who claims that pollutants flowing through the Sirsa river, a tributary of the Sutlej, are originating from the industrial belt across the border.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the FIR was registered at the City Ropar Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The complaint alleges that the chemical-based industrial waste accumulation near the Ropar headworks on the Sutlej poses a significant threat to drinking water supplies, aquatic life, and the public health of Ropar city residents.
Environmentalist Flags Cross-Border Pollution Threat
The environmental crisis has also drawn the attention of environmentalist Col (retd) Jasjit Singh Gill, who has written to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann urging him to convene a meeting with his Himachal Pradesh counterpart. Gill’s letter highlights that industrial effluents, including those from pharmaceutical and ethanol plants, are being discharged upstream of the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh boundary before the Sirsa river enters Punjab near Ghanauli. This polluted water, he claims, subsequently impacts Punjab’s canal and river systems, which are crucial for drinking water and irrigation purposes.
Gill has further recommended that the Punjab government direct the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to install real-time water pollution monitoring sensors at key entry points of rivers and water bodies flowing from Himachal Pradesh into Punjab, specifically at Ghanauli in Ropar district. Such measures, he suggests, would provide crucial data on the extent and source of the contamination.
Sirsa River Declared Critically Polluted Water Body
Recent scientific studies and government monitoring reports have identified the Sirsa river as one of North India’s most critically polluted water bodies. A significant portion of the pollution has been traced to the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial cluster, a major industrial hub in Himachal Pradesh. These reports indicate the presence of pharmaceutical compounds, toxic heavy metals, volatile chemicals, and organic industrial waste in the river’s waters.
A 2024 study titled ‘Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment of Pharmaceutical Compounds in the Sirsa River of Indian Himalayas’, authored by Arohi Dixit and others, identified concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds such as ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, cetirizine, and citalopram. The study found these compounds present at levels significantly exceeding ecological safety parameters, ranging between 50 to 150 micrograms per litre. Such continuous release into natural water sources is known to contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Furthermore, research conducted by SK Bhardwaj, Reetika Sharma, and RK Aggarwal examined metal toxicity in the Sirsa river. Their findings revealed concerning levels of mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and thallium (Tl). These heavy metals, often originating from metal processing, chemical, dyeing, and textile units, are non-biodegradable and can accumulate in sediments and the food chain, posing long-term ecological and health risks. The research concluded that stretches of the Sirsa river downstream of Baddi have surpassed several pollution safety benchmarks, suggesting a pattern of continuous industrial discharge rather than isolated incidents.
❤️ Support Independent Journalism
Your contribution keeps our reporting free, fearless, and accessible to everyone.
Or make a one-time donation
Secure via Razorpay • 12 monthly payments • Cancel anytime before next cycle
(We don't allow anyone to copy content. For Copyright or Use of Content related questions, visit here.)
The Chenab Times News Desk
