E-Paper
Illegal mining detected in Markanda river at Ambala’s Kala Amb
The observation was stated in a report filed by the committee before the NGT in compliance with the order during a hearing on July 18 in the matter of “Dharamvir V/S State of Haryana and Ors”
After National Green Tribunal (NGT) sought a report of pollution in the Markanda river, a joint committee of officials from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh found unauthorised sand mining along and inside the river in the Kala Amb area of Ambala in Haryana. However, no illegal encroachment in the states around the river was detected.
The observation was stated in a report filed by the committee before the NGT in compliance with the order during a hearing on July 18 in the matter of “Dharamvir V/S State of Haryana and Ors.”
The green court had sought a report into issues, including floodplain zone, discharge of untreated domestic sewage or industrial effluents, operational efficiency of treatment plants, collection of samples of water from strategic locations and at intervals of 1 km of Markanda River, remedial measures and removal of encroachments.
Markanda River originates at Shivalik Foothills of Kala Amb in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmour district and merges into Ghaggar River in Kaithal district of Haryana, covering 24 kilometers in the hill state and 125 km in Haryana.
Through two photographs attached to the report, the panel observed that these activities are not permitted as mentioned by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB).
“Consequently, these unauthorised mining activities are causing the formation of significant ditches in the riverbed, resulting in the pooling of wastewater. It is strongly recommended that the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) address this issue with the mining department and initiate the necessary legal actions against those responsible for these activities,” it read.
For the sewage management, the committee, in its report, informed that the sewer network of the sewage treatment plant (STP) Kala Amb and STP Trilokpur in HP suffered major damages due to flash floods during the monsoon, while there are a total of 29 STPs complying in Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra and Kaithal.
The joint committee also observed that River Tangri, a significant tributary of Markanda, with its origin in the Shivalik foothills of Haryana, joins Markanda at Memadpur Rurki village in Punjab, flowing through Patiala, Panchkula and Ambala districts.
“As a result, it is recommended to investigate the specific sources responsible for the direct or indirect discharge of untreated domestic sewage or industrial effluents into both the rivers within the revenue estate of Punjab. It is recommended that nodal agencies (SPCBs) in this matter communicate and get more details from Punjab, as collected in Haryana and HP,” it said.
Dharamvir, a local resident, in his plea last year, had complained that polluted industrial waste was being discharged through the Kaimi drain into the river at Kala Amb in HP.
A paper mill, he claimed, was also causing environmental pollution by discharging its wastewater through an illegally constructed drain.
