“Sutlej Bachao, Punjab Bachao” campaign launched by Medha Patkar in Punjab

Ludhiana, November 21, 2021: "Sutlej Bachao, Punjab Bachao" campaign was launched  in Punjab today by renowned environment activist Medha Patkar and environmentalist Ranjodh Singh. She has led Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) a campaign to save river Narmada by NGOs of three states: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat for 32 years. Many NGOs under the banner of PAC for Sutlej and Mattewara have been campaigning for saving river Sutlej. Their primary demands are cancellation of plan to create Industrial Park near Mattewara and to bring complete transparency in Buddha Nullah rejuvenation project.

Patkar highlighted the issue of pollution of Sutlej via Buddha Darya and other waste water drains of industry and municipalities which is a serious violation of environmental laws of the country and citizens need to raise their voice to wake up the government to fix these serious problems. She said that they are working on protection of Narmada as they consider it their mother and Sutlej in Punjab deserves same level of respect and protection as it is also a source of drinking water for millions. She congratulated Punjabis for leading the way on agitation on farm laws and promised to raise the issue of environment protection of Punjab in the meeting of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha as well.

A tour to Mattewara forest was organized by the PAC for her to take first hand view of the site of the proposed industrial park near the protected forests. She interacted with the villagers of Sekhowal who are protesting against the plan of their eviction from their farms due to the proposed industrial textile park in the area. Kashmir Singh a resident of Sekhowal village explained the entire history of their fight for their land that this village of Dalits fought from 1962-63 and which they successfully won finally in 2014. He rued that this victory was short lived as they have lost the land title again to the shenanigans of GLADA and government of Punjab.

Kapil Dev who is the main petitioner in the NGT case against the proposed Modern Industrial Park explained legal side of the issue at the proposed site. He said that the Government of Punjab bulldozed its way through the plan by notifying modifications to Ludhiana Master Plan to allow industrial park on the river flood plain in designated no manufacturing zone. This despite an NGT order in this case to first demarcate flood plain of the Sutlej which the government has been defying till date. 

The team finally reached Buddha Nullah near Jamalpur to see polluted water discharge and sites of the upcoming STP for municipal sewage and CETPs of the effluents of the dyeing industry near here. Successive governments have promised solutions to the Buddha Nullah problem but none of them has succeeded in solving the problems of that plague this rivulet. These include dairy waste of tens of thousands of cattle from dairy complexes, untreated domestic sewage and untreated industrial effluents polluting this tributary of Sutlej. Gurpreet Singh Chandbaja explained that this water gets mixed in Sutlej and is supplied as drinking water to millions in South Punjab and Rajasthan. 

Puja Sen Gupta of Earth Care Society formally welcomed Patkar at the Townhall organized near Vardhaman Chowk. Giani Kewal Singh ex-Jathedara Sri Damdama Sahib also welcomed Patkar to Punjab and said, "Pavan guru pani pita mata dharat mahat by Guru Nanak is the essence of environmental wisdom. Government of Punjab should understand that disrespect for air and water cannot continue for very long without causing serious repercussions to the health of citizens. Political parties should give highest priority to environmental issues in their manifestoes and should clearly spell their understanding of such problems in Punjab and solutions they propose."

Green activists led by Patkar also launched a website greenmanifesto.info which outlines major environment concerns of citizens and aims to persuade all political parties of Punjab to give prominence to such environment issues in the upcoming Punjab elections 2022.