Punjab parties urged to include ‘green agenda’ in manifesto

Chandigarh: The forest cover in Punjab which was about 40% in 1947 has been reduced to 6% today. Ahead of Punjab Assembly elections next year, when people are hoping for overall development, politicians are also toiling to woo people. But none of the political parties has so far given a thought to the environment and Punjab’s dwinding green cover. Surprisingly, when the whole nation has suffered from the paucity of Oxygen during the Covid second wave, even then none of the parties gave a serious thought on this while having a Green Manifesto for the state. SantBalbir Singh Seenchewal recently again raised this issue before the people of Punjab to not just talk about jobs, security, religion, and peace, but also ask every politician where are the trees, birds, clean water, and clean air.
As per IFS Parveen Kumar Principal Chief Conservator of Punjab, Punjab’s green cover is increasing. As per the data in 2017 Punjab had forest cover: 1837sqkm, Tree outside Forest: 1622sq km; in 2019, the forest cover: 1848.63 sqkm, Tree outside Forest was: 1592 sqkm. In a letter to the People of Punjab, Punjab VatavaranChetna Lehar wrote a letter to political parties to include Green Manifesto in their political manifestos. The letter says that rvery Punjabi knows that the groundwater level in Punjab is getting lower and lower day by day. According to the report of Agriculture University Ludhiana, an average of half a meter of water level is going down per year since 1988. The Central Groundwater Board’s report for the year 2019 which covers the period from 2013 to 2017, clearly shown that there is 320 billion cubic meters of water of the three underground layers of Punjab land and 21 billion cubic meters of rain/river water that goes down the soil. According to the report, 35 billion cubic meters of water per year in Punjab is absorbed by agriculture, domestic, and extracted through boring for industrial needs. Thus the groundwater level of Punjab is falling 14 billion cubic meters every year.
SantBalbir Singh Seenchewal told The Sunday Guardian, “Out of the total of 163 cities in Punjab, there are 2200 million litres of sewerage that is discharged in rivers. 128 cities have treatment plants claiming to clean only 1600 million liters of sewerage water. The remaining 35 cities have a treatment plant to treat approximately 600 million liters of water.”
Ludhiana’s Budha Darya (Nala) is in the worst condition. It carries 750 cusecs of water which goes directly into the Sutlej River, and further, it flows into the Malwa region of Punjab and Rajasthan. And Rajasthan used that sewerage water for drinking. Seenchewal explained the Environmental People Manifesto i.e. Green Manifesto thus: 1. Groundwater is declining at the rate of 14 billion cubic meters per year. Methods will be adopted that will save water for future generations by stopping it completely over the next five years; 2. There shall be a complete ban on further encroachment on rivers and water resources; 3. Provide a clean environment to the people by completely stopping the air pollution; 4. Completely solve the problem of waste in cities; 5. Increase the forest cover in Punjab to at least 10% of the total area and on wetlands. Provide proper maintenance of flood-prone areas near rivers; 6. Controlling noise pollution in Punjab will provide an environment of peace to the people; 7. Any industrial/institutional policy in Punjab should focus solely on environmental issues; 8. Make Punjab Pollution Control Board an autonomous body of public accountability. Strengthen administrative and legal so that the Board could effectively implement the Pollution Act 1981 and the Environmental Protection Act 1986.