Toxic waters: Panchkula rivers not fit for a dip, let alone drinking

Time of India

2 days ago

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Panchkula: Water bodies across the district are facing a grave environmental crisis, with pollution levels soaring far beyond permissible limits. Rivers and drains in the region have become dangerously contaminated: not only unfit for human consumption but also unsuitable for outdoor bathing, posing serious risks to public health and the ecosystem.
A report compiled by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in Feb this year paints a disturbing picture of the district's water quality.
Kaushalya River, located at Himachal Pradesh-Haryana border in Panchkula, recorded a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) level of 8.6 mg/L and a Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) level of 52 mg/L. These figures are nearly triple and five times the ideal limits respectively, which are 3 mg/L for BOD and 10 mg/L for COD in healthy river systems.
The situation is even worse in Jhajjra River near Parwanoo-Kalka border, where BOD levels reached 10.8 mg/L and COD soared to 64 mg/L.
Similarly, Ghaggar River, before its confluence with Sukhna Choe in Panchkula, showed BOD at 9.8 mg/L and COD at 56 mg/L.
The pollution is not limited to rivers alone. Drains feeding into these rivers are in a far more critical state. A sample from a drain at Chandimandir village (Burj Kotian Flyover), which flows into Ghaggar, revealed a BOD level of 145 mg/L and COD of 488 mg/L.
Another drain at Kakrali village, also leading into the Ghaggar, had BOD at 120 mg/L and COD at 440 mg/L. While drains are allowed slightly higher thresholds - 30 mg/L for BOD and 250–500 ppm for COD - these figures are still alarmingly high and indicative of severe contamination.
"The government must take immediate action. Firstly, it should enforce stricter regulations on industrial discharges. Secondly, the chemicals percolating into the river and groundwater due to nearby untreated waste in a dumping yard must be processed on an urgent basis so that neither the groundwater nor the nearby river gets polluted.
Lastly, the government should consider implementing penalties for violations to deter future pollution," said Save Ghaggar Campaign co-founder, Tapasya Sharma, who procured this report under the RTI Act.
Adding to this, Mohit Gupta, co-founder of Save Ghaggar Campaign, said: "Plans to supply water to Panchkula residents from Kaushalya Dam in near future is a very sensitive issue. With every drain going into the Ghaggar being highly polluted, the dam water too runs the same risk.
No amount of treatment will make it safe for human consumption."
Vijay Bansal, president of Shivalik Vikas Manch, highlighted that Kaushalya Dam, constructed in 2012 at a cost of nearly Rs 150 crore, was intended to provide clean drinking water to Panchkula's urban sectors through a treatment plant.
However, he alleged that untreated sewage from Pinjore drains, runoff from a nearby cowshed (gaushala), waste from a municipal dumping ground, and discharge from a slum settlement are polluting the dam's reservoir.
He warned that if this continues, the contaminated water being supplied to residents could trigger a major public health crisis. At present, water from the dam is being supplied to Pinjore.
Pollution Board's Sample Summary
As per norms for rivers, BOD level for healthy water bodies should be 3 mg/L or less, while COD levels should ideally be below 10 mg/L. Here's what was found:
Kaushalya River (HP-Haryana border):
BOD: 8.6 mg/L
COD: 52 mg/L
Jhajjra River (Parwanoo-Kalka border):
BOD: 10.8 mg/L
COD: 64 mg/L
Ghaggar River (before meeting Sukhna Choe):
BOD: 9.8 mg/L
COD: 56 mg/L
Drain at Chandimandir (Burj Kotian Flyover):
BOD: 145 mg/L
COD: 488 mg/L
Drain at Kakrali village:
BOD: 120 mg/L
COD: 440 mg/L
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