Industrial Wastewater in Gujranwala: The Hidden Killer

Gujranwala, the city of wrestlers, an industrial hub of Punjab, and a main wing of Pakistan’s economy, is facing so many issues nowadays. Industrial wastewater is one of them. From steel to ceramics and textiles to paper, its factories never sleep. But behind its flourishing growth, there is a silent killer that we barely talk about. Every day, hundreds of small and large industrial units combine and fall into local drains, ultimately into Upper Chenab canal tributaries.

Areas like G.T Road, Sialkot Bypass and Wazirabad Bypass are notorious for this. It is not just dirty water; it is a potpourri of toxic chemicals, heavy metals like mercury, lead, chromium, and acids. There is not a single person safe from it.

Why should it be taken as a climate and Environmental Issue?

1. Poisoning Our Water: The toxic water accumulated with harsh chemicals and heavy metals seeps down into the ground and is then used by local people, making them ill. The taste and color of the water have changed over the years because of the industrial waste.
2. Killer of Agriculture: The god has blessed Gujranwala with fertile soil. Its rice is famous worldwide. When farmers use that contaminated water to irrigate the wheat, rice and other crops, it deteriorates the quality of the crops by injecting heavy metals and chemicals in it. Heavy metals make soil infertile and also affect the crop yield over time.
3. Threat to Biodiversity: The aquatic life in our canals, streams, and rivers is almost vanishing. The fishes and other species are unable to survive in water with low oxygen and high chemical levels. The survival rate for fishes is decreasing day by day.
4. A Public Health Crisis: The fishes that we eat then transfer the heavy metals to us. Because of that, stomach issues, skin diseases, and other long-term health issues are common. A study has also stated that people living near industrial drains are likely to get more diseases as compared to others.

What Can Be Done?

The solution is not to shut down the industries but to make them sustainable.

1. Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs): The government should establish common effluent treatment plants where all industries collect their wastewater before treating it and discharging it.
2. Strict Monitoring: EPCCD and EPA have sound regulations. They should be strictly enforced. EPA should monitor Industrial discharge in real time and make sure that the discharge is not directly drained into water flows.
3. Our Role as Citizens: EPA’s helpline (1373) has given us the right to complain about such violations. As citizens, we should support such brands that follow green principles. We are an educated nation. We should talk about it, write about it, and demand clean water, as it is our right.

Industrial wastewater in Gujranwala is no less than a hidden killer, as we cannot see heavy metals in it, but we are drinking it, and we are facing the consequences that it creates. Now it is time to bring this killer out of the shadows.

If we want a resilient and green Punjab, we must learn what we can do to let Gujranwala beat with a healthy heart.