Chandigarh, September 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Ropar MLA and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Dinesh Chadha has raised concerns over the alleged discharge of untreated industrial effluents and sewage from Himachal Pradesh’s Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt into the Sirsa River, which eventually flows into the Sutlej.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Chadha said a team visiting the Baddi area had found drains and rivulets carrying industrial waste towards the Sirsa River. He alleged that pharmaceutical waste, acids and other industrial effluents were being discharged through drains at several locations.
Chadha said the BBN industrial belt has around 2,200 industries, of which about 1,000 generate liquid waste. According to him, only around 377 units are sending their effluent to the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), while more than 600 industries are allegedly discharging effluent through drains instead of sending it for treatment.
He also flagged shortcomings in sewage treatment infrastructure in Baddi. The MLA said the town has an officially recorded population of around 2.2 lakh, while its actual population is estimated at nearly four lakh due to the large migrant and industrial workforce. He said the sewage treatment requirement for the officially recorded population alone was around 32 MLD, whereas only a 5 MLD sewage treatment plant was operational.
Chadha further raised concerns over solid waste management at the Shivalik Solid Waste facility in Majra, saying local residents were protesting over the facility and alleging inadequate treatment of waste.
The MLA said he had already approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over the issue and that the Tribunal had sought responses from the governments of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
Highlighting Punjab’s dependence on the Sutlej for drinking water and irrigation, Chadha called for immediate action by the Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Central governments to prevent untreated industrial and sewage waste from entering the river system.
“Punjab cannot be expected to protect its water resources while untreated industrial waste continues to enter the Sutlej from upstream areas,” he said, while questioning the role of the concerned pollution control, environment and administrative authorities.
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