Sutlej River Pollution – The Impact on Water Quality (Class B, C, D, E)

• Upon entering Punjab, the Sutlej river carries Class B water, which is unfit for both irrigation and human consumption.
• As the river flows past the Nangal-Ropar Belt in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, the water quality deteriorates to Class C.
• Downstream of Ludhiana, effluent discharge from Buddha Nullah transforms the Sutlej river into Class E water.
• After a short stretch of Class D water, the river reverts to Class E at Gidderpindi in the Jalandhar district.

Sutlej River Pollution – The Health Impact

• Pollution in the Sutlej river threatens the health of over 10 million people in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab.
• The Rajasthan Feeder Canal passes through seven districts of Rajasthan – Barmer, Churu, Bikaner, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sriganganagar.
• In these areas, many people suffer from kidney disease, hepatitis, and cancer.
• Despite the known risks and the high probability of disease, many people continue to consume the water due to a lack of alternative drinking water sources. In districts like Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar, the canal water is the only available source of drinking water.
• The health impact of the polluted Sutlej river in the entire Malwa belt is evident in the high incidence of cancer in Faridkot hospitals.
• The Sutlej river pollution also leads to other health problems such as loss of eyesight, gastroenteritis, and skin diseases.

About the Sutlej River

• The Sutlej River, also spelled as Sutluj river, is heavily polluted and is used for both irrigation and drinking purposes in Punjab.
• Before entering Pakistan, the Sutlej river travels approximately 1450 kilometers in India.
• The Sutlej originates to the west of Lake Rakshastal’s catchment area. The river begins at the northwestern tip of Rakshastal, a saltwater lake in Tibet, located just west of Lake Manasarovar and south of Mount Kailash.