MP Seechewal flags shutdown of Haibowal ETP, collapse of Tajpur sewage model

Ludhiana: Rajya Sabha member and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal has expressed strong concern over the Haibowal effluent treatment plant (ETP) remaining shut for the past 25 days and the complete collapse of the temporary Sekhewal sewage treatment model near the Tajpur dairy complex. He alleged that bureaucratic lapses were contributing to continued pollution of the Buddha Dariya.Seechewal, who is leading the Buddha Dariya cleaning campaign through kar seva, said water from the Satluj river is used for drinking in Rajasthan and the Malwa region, but untreated and polluted water from Ludhiana's dairies and dyeing units continues to flow into the Buddha Dariya without restriction.During his second inspection in March, Seechewal reprimanded officials over the prolonged shutdown of the Haibowal ETP. He questioned officials from the Municipal Corporation, Sewerage Board and Punjab Pollution Control Board about responsibility and accountability for repeated plant failures and the discharge of untreated animal waste into the drain.Officials informed him that the Haibowal plant failed multiple times due to excessive inflow of dung. Instead of removing the waste, dairy owners were allegedly flushing dung into drains using heavy water pressure, causing it to enter the ETP directly. The company operating the plant told officials that the municipal corporation had not paid Rs 19 crore owed to it for the past two and a half years.A temporary sewage treatment plant had earlier been installed at the Tajpur dairy complex to treat wastewater, where 15 to 17 tippers of dung were collected daily. However, following the complete collapse of this model, all untreated sewage is now flowing directly into the Buddha Dariya. The project was also linked with a sports organisation.Seechewal has previously inspected the cleaning work in rural stretches of the drain, including Jainpur, Barnhara and Talwara villages. Officials said seven large excavator machines have been deployed for an extended period to remove debris from the river.While noting some improvement in water quality, Seechewal alleged that bureaucratic functioning continued to pollute the drain. He said bureaucracy was the biggest hurdle in realising chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's vision of making Punjab clean and environmentally sound.