Save Doodh Ganga from Extinction

What is left of Doodh Ganga, once a gushing river with crystal clear waters, is just a sewage canal!
Originating from glaciers of the Pir Panjal range of mountains, Dood Ganga flows from central Kashmir’s Budgam district to Srinagar. The gushing waters of the river formed a white surface and was popularly called as “Milky river.” However, in absence of measures by authorities to prevent pollution, the river has turned into a cesspool.

Official apathy and public greed have destroyed the river, the main source of drinking water for the people of Budgam and uptown areas of Srinagar. In absence of Sewage Treatment Plants, all the drains in the twin districts empty into Doodh Ganga.

If there was pollution in Budgam district, the river was buried alive from Aloochi Bagh to Batamaloo. Doodh Ganga passed through Srinagar via Aloochi Bagh and Batamaloo. Till a few years ago, one of its canals passed through Batamaloo, shockingly this was gradually buried under concrete structures, parks and bus stands from Batamaloo to Shalteng in the full glare of authorities. What remains of the river in Srinagar is just a name—Doodh Ganga Road.

The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir has taken suo moto cognizance of a report published in Greater Kashmir on Doodh Ganga’s deterioration in 2019 and treated it as Public Interest Litigation passing a slew of directions for its conservation.

The report had exposed the deteriorating condition of Doodh Ganga and garbage dumps near the Water Filtration Plant which supplies drinking water to more than two lakh people in different areas of Srinagar.

The National Green Tribunal has passed several directions for restoration of Doodh Ganga in the last 4 years on a petition by noted environmental activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat. The NGT has even imposed Environment Compensation of Rs 46.50 crores on Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Municipal Committee Chadoora and Municipal Council Budgam for observing its orders in breach of conservation of Doodh Ganga and Mamath Nallah.

Illegal river bed mining is also taking toll on hydrology of Doodh Ganga and severely affecting its flora and fauna. Last year the NGT had imposed an interim penalty of over Rs 15.79 lakh on two contractors for using heavy machinery to undertake riverbed mining in the river near Chadoora town.

During a recent hearing of the case, the NGT has expressed displeasure on failure of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Urban Environmental Engineering Department-UEED and Housing & Urban Development Department for failing to set up multiple sewerage plants around Doodh Ganga in Chadoora town and Srinagar.

The NGT's Principal Bench of Justice Prakash Srivastava Chairperson NGT and Dr Afroz Ahmad Expert Member has directed the Commissioner Secretary Environment & Forest Department UT of J&K to file a written statement through an affidavit mentioning the timeline for setting up the STPs.

It is shocking that 1.62 MLD sewage is generated per day in Budgam Municipal Committee jurisdiction but no STP exists. In Srinagar as compared to the daily generation of sewage of 163.546 MLD, the treatment is roughly about 60 MLD and rest of sewage is dumped into the river.

The HUDD has informed the NGT that within Municipal Council Chadoora, 4.30 MLD of sewage is generated per day and presently no STP exists. “Meaning thereby, entire untreated sewage is either flowing to the river or getting collected somewhere causing enormous pollution. We have been informed that a 6 MLD STP is proposed in MC, Chadoora but no timeline for setting it up has been disclosed “ reads the NGT order.

The NGT bench observed that in respect of SMC, as compared to the daily generated sewage of 163.546 MLD, the treatment is  about 60 MLD. “Hence, a huge quantity of untreated sewage is flowing into the river. Let this affidavit be filed in 8 weeks “that performance of existing STPs have not been disclosed and water quality of Mamath Kull and Doodh Ganga has also not been disclosed with respect to prescribed standards.”

The NGT noted that the  Forest, Ecology & Environment Department could not give satisfactory explanation as to why the STP for treatment in the two urban local areas had not been set up.
“Thus, we require the Commissioner Secretary, Environment and Forest J&K Govt to file an affidavit disclosing the timeline for setting up the STP for treatment of sewage generated in the Municipal Council, Budgam, Chadoora and Srinagar along with the official responsible for executing it and the phase manner in which it will be executed with the household connectivity,” the Bench directed.

NGT’s intervention is timely and much needed to save the river. But the question is why authorities aren’t serious on environmental issues. J&K is passing through climate change and witnessing prolonged dry spells. Besides, the valley had witnessed mostly dry winters. This has put pressure on our water resources. In this situation, there is an urgent need to launch a sustained campaign to conserve Doodh Ganga rivers and other water bodies.

We are thankful to NGT for showing seriousness to save our natural resources. It is time for people to fulfil their responsibility towards environmental conservation. We must understand that our survival depends on water and we must protect our water resources.

Author is Executive Editor, Greater Kashmir