To provide relief to the residents facing health hazards due to polluted ‘Nallahs’ (drains), the Punjab government on Thursday decided to turn such drains into green belt. As per the move, the state government will establish toxic sucking plants to tackle the problem.
This was disclosed today by the local government minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, while inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Punjab Government and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
Terming the pathetic condition of the drains as alarming situation for Punjab, Sidhu said that drains were covered at places and shops were made on that preventing the de-siliting as well. Drains in Punjab had become the dumping grounds for the Industrial waste, building material and dead animals, completing making the place an eyesore and toxic.
This needed to stop and solution was needed which has been found now. Sidhu further said that this project to clean the ‘Nallahs’ will be launched in a phased manner from March this year in the cities of Punjab including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Budha Nallah of Ludhiana. The Minister also examined a detailed presentation by the NEERI team.
The Minister also divulged that once these projects are complete, these drains will turn into lungs of the cities. He further said that this technology by NEERI would see plantation being done in the drains and water will be cleaned by using advanced technology.
Moreover the water treated through this technology will be fit for gardening, flushing and even irrigation. The Minister further said that cost of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) up-gradation and maintenance would be one fourth of that of the up-gradation to Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology.
The minister expressed strong hope that things would change for the better in around two years after the formalities are completed.