Activists hold 8th leg of awareness walk on ‘Save Buddha Nullah, Sutlej river’

The awareness walk on ‘Save Buddha Nullah, Sutlej river’ will resume from Kirpal Nagar Bridge at 10 am on January 15 in Ludhiana

City-based environmental activists organised a 3-km awareness walk on ‘Save Buddha Nullah and Sutlej river’ from Radha Swami Satsang Bhawan bridge till Gaughat Gurudwara Sahib Bridge, falling within the municipal limits, for the eighth consecutive Sunday.

PAC members, along with local residents, carrying out awareness walk near Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana. (Harvinder Singh/HT)

The walk was led by Public Action Committee member Puja Sengupta, who said the area around dairies must shift out of the city limits and away from the water bodies, according to the law. Polluting industries must not be allowed to continue to act as destroyers of environment and humanity. They should be forced to shut and quit, she said.

Water samples were collected every 500 metres during the walk under the leadership of Rakesh Sharda, a Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) representative who was present in the padyatra.

Participants noted that as one moves towards the Tajpur Dairy complex, the constant degradation of the river is noticeable. They interacted with residents and apprised them of the negative effects of the pollution on their health.

A PAC member, Jaskirat, said residents in the surrounding areas are forced to live in unhygienic conditions and untreated water being drained into the Buddha Nullah can have a serious impact on the groundwater, soil, air quality and environment.

The walk will resume from Kirpal Nagar Bridge at 10 am on January 15 .