River Satluj Pollution Affects Harike Wetland; 2 Indus Dolphins Remain

July

2026

Asia’s largest wetland, Harike Pattan, has become a symbol of Panjab’s river pollution crisis. At this confluence, the cleaner waters of the river Beas meet the dark, contaminated flow of the river Satluj. Large volumes of untreated industrial and domestic waste, particularly from Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah (a rivulet turned into a drain in Ludhiana) and other tributaries, are polluting the river Satluj. The river water deteriorates to Class E—unfit for drinking or irrigation—after receiving effluents from the Buddha Nullah. Nearly 16,672 kg per day of biological oxygen demand containing arsenic, chromium, and other toxins are discharged into the river. Environmental groups estimate more than 700 MLD of wastewater from Ludhiana and 350 MLD from Jalandhar enter the Satluj river system. Despite sewage treatment plants, activists allege untreated water continues to flow into the river. From Harike, the water begins feeding the Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind Feeder canals, supplying irrigation water to thousands of villages across Panjab and Rajasthan. Contamination threatens agriculture, biodiversity, and public health downstream. Jaskirat Singh of the Public Action Committee and Kale Pani Morcha (Black Waters Front) shared the issue was taken to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in December 2024, which directed industries to stop discharging untreated effluents. He said, ‘Despite these directions, pollution remains a major concern. Despite the NGT ruling, the Panjab government has done nothing to either clean the Buddha Nullah or taken action against industries polluting it’. Additionally, conservationists and locals living along the river Beas claim that only two Indus river dolphins remain in the Beas Conservation Reserve—the species’ only habitat in India. The Indus river dolphin, locally called Bhulan, is considered an integral part of the river and legally protected as a Schedule I species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Jalandhar-based ecologist Bagheshwer Singh who walked 190 km along the river Beas in February 2026 to document its biodiversity said, ‘The Beas is the only remaining habitat of Bhulan in India, and there are only two such dolphins in the river, making it amongst India’s most endangered species. Rapid conversion of grasslands into farmland and woodlands is shrinking habitats, and increasing human-wildlife conflict. Protecting and reviving the Bhulan requires urgent action.’ The Wildlife Department disputed the dolphin number but gave no details (earlier coverage).