Bathinda: Union minister of state for jal shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha to a question by Punjab MP Satnam Singh Sandhu about rejuvenation of Ghaggar and other rivers in Punjab, stated that as per Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), 28 STPs of a total capacity of 291.7MLD had been installed, and 15 STPs of 97MLD were in different stages of implementation, to treat wastewater from towns falling in the catchment of the Ghaggar.
Under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), pollution abatement schemes for conservation of the Ghaggar were sanctioned at a total cost of Rs 57.1 crore, he said. An amount of Rs 32.61 crore was released as part of the central share for implementing these schemes, and sewage treatment capacity of 15 million litres per day (MLD) was created. For the conservation of Satluj and Beas in Punjab, Rs 483.53 crore was released as central share, and a sewage treatment capacity of 648 MLD was created under NRCP. To address pollution concerns of Satluj due to pollution from Buddha Nallah, Punjab govt has undertaken a rejuvenation project which includes setting up of STPs with capacity to treat 225 MLD and 60 MLD of wastewater, rehabilitation of four STPs, and two effluent treatment plants with the capacity to treat 3.75 MLD and 2.25 MLD wastewater from dairy complexes in Ludhiana. To prevent and control industrial discharge from clusters of small/medium scale dyeing industries in Ludhiana, common effluent treatment plants of 40 MLD, 50 MLD and 15 MLD capacity, have been made operational.
The minister said it is the primary responsibility of states/Union territories (UTs) and local bodies to ensure required treatment of sewage and industrial effluents, before discharging into recipient water bodies or land for prevention and control of pollution therein. For conservation of rivers, the Union ministry has been supplementing efforts of states/UTs by providing financial and technical assistance in identified stretches of rivers.
Sandhu had sought details of steps taken to rejuvenate and detoxify Ghaggar; details of grants provided by central govt to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan to clean the river; and steps taken by govt for rejuvenation of rivers in Punjab, and allocation made towards the same.