Gurdaspur district’s stone crushers a bane for rivers

Gurdaspur, October 15
When things get bad, they really do. This, in essence, sums up the pollution scenario in the border district of Gurdaspur where two lifelines, Ravi and Beas, are being choked by stone crushers. Officially, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials may paint a rosy picture and claim the rivers are pollution-free. Unofficially, they admit that despite the stringent mechanism put in place by the board, things will not improve till industrialists, particularly those owing stone-crushing units, ‘discipline’ themselves.

“Till that happens, which is highly unlikely, pollutants will continue to flow into the Ravi and Beas," said Manjit Singh Dala, a Gurdaspur resident who lives near a polluted drain that flows in front of Abul Khair gurdwara.

Main violators

The economy of Pathankot is based on stone-crushing. The town is situated in the foothills where the Chakki, Ravi and Beas enter the plains and deposit boulders. There are 211 stone-crushers in and around the town. Though the PPCB authorities claim that these units are not allowed to operate till they get ‘air and water pollution consent’ certificates, yet many flout norms with impunity. Earlier, a majority of them were located near the Chakki river near Mirthal. Now these units have shifted to the banks of the Ravi.

A senior PPCB official admitted that in the past one month, seven crushers had been sealed. But sources claimed that this step was a mere eyewash as 50-odd units were still polluting the Ravi. Environmentalists say rapid industrialisation, urbanisation and non-sustainable development have led to the establishment of a number of industries and commercial complexes which, in turn, have aggravated the problem of water pollution.

Urban water pollution

Shocking, but true. There are nine municipal councils (MCs) in this border district. Barring one, the rest are not in a financial position to install sewage treatment plants (STP). Lack of STPs is leading to water pollution in almost all major towns of the district. The PPCB has now initiated the process of issuing notices to erring MCs. Paramjit Singh, Executive Engineer, PPCB, said that industrialists flouting pollution norms were not being spared.

“The PPCB is very strict as far as enforcing norms are concerned. We are not allowing effluents to be discharged into the Ravi, Beas, Chakki and Ujh and anybody found to be violating rules is being issued notices,” he claimed.