In recent years, the textile units of Balotra have achieved remarkable success in producing printed fabrics and dress materials that are highly sought after by garment makers nationwide and abroad.
However, this industrial triumph has come at a great cost to the environment, particularly the Luni River, which is the largest river in the Thar desert and serves as a lifeline for the people of Balotra.
The unregulated discharge of chemical pollutants from the textile units into the Luni River, also known as the Maru Ganga, has transformed its once pristine water into a toxic and unusable resource. This contamination has not only affected the Luni River but has also rendered other nearby drinking water sources unfit for consumption.
The severity of the situation has sparked discontent among the local population, especially with assembly polls on the horizon.
Prior to the devastating effects of industrial pollution, the Luni River flowed majestically during the monsoon season, providing vital sustenance for the residents of Balotra district. However, the release of hazardous chemicals by textile units in Balotra, Pali, and Jodhpur districts has irreparably damaged this seasonal desert river.
To exacerbate matters, chemically polluted water from textile units in Jodhpur and Pali districts is eventually discharged into the Bandi River, which joins the already contaminated Luni River.
Various studies have highlighted the alarming impact of industrial wastewater on drinking water sources, resulting in a significant number of wells becoming unusable and once-fertile farmlands turning barren. The contamination has reached as far as Samdari, impacting the entire stretch of the Luni from Samdari tehsil to its endpoint at the Gulf of Kutch, jeopardizing the region’s prosperity.
Farmers in countless villages have expressed their concerns over the crisis, prompting the intervention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to issue strict directives to the textile industry.
Om Prakash Soni, the secretary of Pradushan Nivaran Evam Paryavaran Sanrakshan Samiti (PNEPSS), an organization dedicated to preserving the environment, lamented the lack of concrete plans from the government to safeguard the Luni River over the past four decades. Soni has tirelessly worked towards eliminating chemical pollution from the river. Instances of textile units directly disposing of polluted water into wells, thus contaminating groundwater, have surfaced, leading to some units facing action.
Residents have voiced their concern about the operation of textile units in Bithuja, an area not officially recognized as an industrial zone.
Sunil Dave, a resident of Samdari, highlighted that the pollution in the Luni river extends up to 22 km from the Rampura area in Samdari. Public figures such as Madan Prajapat, the Congress MLA from Pachpadra, have made repeated efforts to address the issue through correspondence with the government.
BJP leader and former minister, Amra Ram Chaudhary, pledged to enact stringent laws against water pollution if the party wins.
The plight of the Luni River serves as a reminder of the urgent need for environmental protection and sustainable industrial practices.
As Balotra heads towards the assembly polls, the fate of the Luni River hangs in the balance, awaiting concrete action to address the pollution crisis and safeguard the region’s ecological and economic well-being.
