JAMMU, June 21 (KNS) : The rivers of Jammu & Kashmir, the lifelines of the region's culture and civilization, are gasping for life as a lethal cocktail of untreated sewage, biomedical waste, and industrial effluents pushes them to the brink of ecological collapse. The crisis, largely man-made and unfolding in plain sight, has laid bare a grim tale of institutional apathy, policy paralysis, and a deep moral contradiction where citizens pray to their rivers while simultaneously poisoning them.

 

The pollution is not an abstract statistic but a stark reality. The Tawi, the lifeline of Jammu city, is choking on untreated sewage from nearly 19 city drains that discharge into it daily . The holy Devika, the Basanter, the Poonch, and the once-pristine Vishaw are all suffering under the weight of industrial waste, municipal negligence, and unchecked waste dumping . In the Kashmir Valley, the Jhelum is under a combined assault of urban and industrial waste, while Wular, one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes, is under severe ecological threat due to heavy metal contamination from agricultural and urban runoff . The Rambi Ara is quietly vanishing under layers of solid waste. A recent study has even found alarming levels of microplastic contamination in the Jhelum, with concentrations ranging between 600 to 2,500 particles per cubic meter .

 

The reasons for this catastrophe are entirely preventable. Untreated sewage, biomedical waste, and industrial effluents are being discharged without treatment . Municipal bodies are dumping solid waste on riverbanks, and construction debris further degrades the water quality. The result is devastating: the waters are no longer suitable for drinking, bathing, or irrigation, spelling doom for communities that have depended on them for centuries .

 

The Great Irony: Aarti Amidst Sewage

 

Perhaps no image captures the tragedy more painfully than the Tawi Aarti, a sacred ritual where devotees gather to offer prayers and light diyas to the river goddess. Even as hymns are sung and reverence is shown, untreated sewage continues to flow into the river from open pipes just a stone's throw away. "We pray to our rivers with folded hands and pollute them with open pipes. This is a moral contradiction of the highest order," observers note.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe ritual has become a symbol of the collective failure to protect these water bodies .

 

NGT Slams Apathy, Institutional Failure

 

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has repeatedly pulled up authorities for their failure to act. In a recent directive, the NGT expressed alarm over rampant encroachments along the Tawi river in Jammu, noting that 256 illegal occupants were identified in just two khasras (land parcels). The tribunal slammed the "institutional indifference" of the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), the revenue department, and the district administration, observing that they "shirked their responsibilities" and adopted "dilly-dallying tactics" . The NGT has also flagged the failure of the 30 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Bhagwati Nagar, which, despite meeting some parameters, fails to eliminate faecal coliform bacteria from human waste, posing grave health risks . The capacity of STPs in the region is grossly inadequate; Jammu has a treatment capacity of 72.6 MLD against a sewage generation of 77.8 MLD, while Srinagar’s capacity is a meager 67 MLD against 158.3 MLD . The NGT has now set a six-week deadline for the district administration to file affidavits on action taken to reclaim floodplains and remove encroachments .

 

The Imperative for Immediate Action

 

The time for half-measures is over. Saving J&K's rivers demands serious, sustained, and time-bound action. The immediate need is to establish functional STPs before any drain is permitted to discharge into rivers. A zero-tolerance policy for untreated industrial and biomedical waste must be enforced. Municipal bodies must adopt scientific solid waste management and cease dumping on riverbanks. The NGT and the J&K Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) must be empowered with sharper enforcement mechanisms and strict financial penalties must be imposed on violating industries, hospitals, and defaulting government agencies . Regular and surprise inspections of discharge points, industrial units, and dumping sites must be institutionalized. As the NGT has observed, "delay is not a neutral act – it is an active contributor to degradation" .(KNS)