AAP Faces Heat over SYL, Buddha Daria or Nallah in Focus

On 18 Jul, when AAP declared it would contest all 90 seats in the upcoming Haryana Assembly election, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said he would not be able to speak on the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue as its sub-judice (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 28, Story 6). This evoked sharp reaction from opposition parties in Panjab, who are now targeting AAP both in Panjab, where it is in power, and neighboring Haryana, where the party is to contest elections. CM Mann's stated position on the issue is that Panjab does not have a single drop of water to share with anyone and thus the question of constructing the SYL canal is moot. Meanwhile, in Panjab, activism around cleaning the Buddha Daria (river) or Nallah (drain) is gaining traction in the form of Kale Pani da Morcha (Front Against Black Waters), started nearly a fortnight ago by environmental organizations Naroya Punjab Manch, PAC Mattewara, and Punjab Vatavaran Chetna Lehar. A number of activists – singer Kanwar Singh Grewal, filmmaker Amitoj Singh Mann, food policy expert Devinder Sharma, journalist Hamir Singh, environmentalist Jaskirat Singh, and others – gathered at the confluence of Budda Daria and Sutlej on 15 Jul to discuss the issue, deciding to hold Freedom from Pollution protest march in Ludhiana on 15 Aug. Amandeep Singh Bains, member of PAC Mattewara, says new cases of rare retinal cancer are being found among residents at the confluence. ‘If the government does not close the factories soon, by 15 Sept we shall dam the Buddha Nallah and recover our Satluj river.’ Activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira says, ‘In the name of Sewerage Treatment Plants they have erected white elephants. Why have the funds spent on cleansing the Buddha Nallah never been audited?’