Rajasthan
Pollution in River Sutlej
- 12 Nov 2024
- 3 min read
Why in News?
Residents of Sri Ganganagar district in Rajasthan are increasingly expressing anger over alleged pollution in the Sutlej River, which they attribute to factories in neighboring Punjab.
Key Points
- Markets across Sri Ganganagar district were closed as residents protested against alleged pollution in the Sutlej River.
- Despite efforts by the Punjab government to treat the water with STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) facilities, the water’s quality remains harmful, allegedly causing health issues in local communities.
- National Green Tribunal Actions:
- In 2018, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a Rs 50 crore fine on the Punjab government for “uncontrolled industrial discharge” into the Sutlej and Beas rivers.
- In 2021, the NGT again reprimanded Punjab and directed both Punjab and Rajasthan to submit quarterly compliance reports to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, detailing measures to curb industrial effluent discharge into the rivers.
Sutlej River
- The ancient name of Sutlej River is Zaradros (Ancient Greek) Shutudri or Shatadru (Sanskrit).
- It is the longest of the five tributaries of the Indus River that give the Punjab (meaning “Five Rivers”) its name.
- Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj are main tributaries of Indus.
- It rises on the north slope of the Himalayas in Lake La’nga in southwestern Tibet.
- Flowing northwestward and then west-southwestward through Himalayan gorges, it enters and crosses Himachal Pradesh before beginning its flow through the Punjab plain near Nangal.
- Continuing southwestward in a broad channel, it receives the Beas River (and forms 65 miles (105 km) of the India-Pakistan border before entering Pakistan and flowing another 220 miles (350 km) to join the Chenab River west of Bahawalpur.
- Sutlej River meets the Beas River in Harike in the Ferozpur district before entering Pakistan.
- The combined rivers then form the Panjnad, the link between the Five Rivers and the Indus.
- Luhri Stage-I Hydro Electric Project is located on River Satluj in Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh.
