Punjab's Water Crisis: NGT Demands Full District-Wise Pollution Report
The matter is now listed for further hearing on March 18, 2026.
Punjab’s Water Crisis: NGT Demands Full District-Wise Pollution Report
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Punjab government to file a district-wise report on pollution affecting water bodies across the state, highlighting the need for comprehensible and verifiable data to assess the true scale of contamination and effectiveness of remedial actions. The order was issued on Thursday by an NGT bench comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr A. Senthil Vel in a suo motu case, sources said.
The directive came after the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) submitted a status report dated December 15, 2025. It revealed that 1,511 pollution sources had been identified throughout the state. Of these, 692 sources (about 46 per cent) have been addressed or closed, while 819 remain pending action. These sources include industrial effluents, dairy waste outlets, untreated municipal discharges, village wastewater outlets, and other individual polluters.
The NGT bench expressed concern that the present data did not reflect a clear ground reality. It noted that without specific district-wise breakdowns, including geo-coordinates and current pollution status, it would be difficult to verify the actual condition of water bodies and monitor progress on pollution control.
Accordingly, the NGT has asked the PPCB to submit a tabulated report within eight weeks. This updated submission must list each water body by name and location, identify pollution sources (both active and remediated), include timelines for remaining action plans, and provide current water quality readings. The matter is now listed for further hearing on March 18, 2026.
Environmental analysts said that Punjab’s progress in controlling polluting sources has been uneven. Recent data indicates that a significant proportion of identified polluters remain unaddressed, suggesting a gap between identification and implementation of corrective measures.
Observers said the NGT directive comes amid broader concerns about water quality in the region, where industrial discharge, untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, and weak enforcement have long threatened rivers, canals, ponds, and other water bodies. The updated, district-wise data is expected to sharpen accountability and focus remediation efforts across Punjab’s 23 districts.
Source: Times of India