Water quality in Punjab’s rivers: Status check

Punjab Pollution Control Board monitors four rivers — Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Ghaggar — under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme at 38 points on monthly basis. Based on analysis results for March, here’s the status:

Sutlej: Quality at upstream Nangal conforms to Clas B, that is, the water can be used for outdoor bathing It becomes Class C at Kiratpur Sahib; or drinking after conventional treatment. Hundred metres downstream of confluence of Buddha Nullah, it deteriorates to Class E, which can be used for irrigation, but not for drinking. Then East Bein brings along sewage and industrial effluent from Nawanshahr, Phagwara and Jalandhar. By the time it reaches Harike, quality improves a little, and downstream from Harike in the canals — after confluence of Sutlej with Beas — it conforms to Class C.

Beas: Water quality at Talwara conforms to Class B, that is, the water can be used even for outdoor bathing. And this quality remains same throughout the stretch of the river until it reaches Harike and meets Sutlej.

Ghaggar: It has bad quality of water due to meagre flow; carries sewage from various drains and cities. Quality at all sampling points conforms to Class D or

Ravi: The water in the river is comparatively clean along its entire length since there is little human activity around it and it remains Class B. There is only one sampling station on this river, at Madhopur headworks.