Serious doubts have emerged regarding the credibility of recent water quality reports for the Kaushalya and Ghaggar rivers in Panchkula. Official monitoring data reveals a sudden and unexplained decline in pollution levels at the tail end of these river systems, even as they continue to receive untreated sewage and industrial waste upstream. Environmentalists are raising alarms, calling the trend scientifically impossible and demanding immediate scrutiny.
Data Reveals Scientifically Implausible Trend
According to RTI-based monitoring reports for October and November, the Kaushalya River enters Haryana with significant pollution. The recorded parameters were Total Suspended Solids (TSS) at 82 mg/l, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) at 3.6 mg/l, and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) at 24 mg/l.
However, by the time the river reaches Kaushalya Lake near Panchkula—after allegedly receiving discharges from multiple drains and untreated sewage—the pollution figures show a dramatic improvement. The reported values fall to TSS 38 mg/l, BOD 1.9 mg/l, and COD 12 mg/l.
Environmental observers point out that this improvement contradicts basic science, as several drains feeding into the river carry extremely high pollution loads. Tests from these drains show BOD levels ranging from 50-125 mg/l and COD levels as high as 444 mg/l at specific locations.
Experts and Activists Demand Investigation
Mohit Gupta, co-founder of the Save Ghaggar Campaign, stated that the data suggests the river is becoming cleaner despite receiving waste, which defies environmental science. "This defies basic environmental science," Gupta said, emphasizing that sampling locations, timings, or laboratory analysis need urgent scrutiny.
Similar inconsistencies plague the Ghaggar River data, where pollution levels reportedly drop downstream of major confluence points. Shockingly low readings of BOD 1.4 mg/l and COD 8 mg/l—figures typically associated with clean water bodies—have been recorded, further deepening the mystery.
Experts warn that these discrepancies, if not addressed, could severely undermine genuine pollution control efforts and mask the true ecological crisis of rivers flowing through the Tricity region. They are demanding an independent audit of sampling procedures, laboratory testing methods, and the supervision by pollution control authorities.
Official Response and a History of Inconsistencies
When confronted with these findings, Sudhir Mohan, the regional officer of the pollution control board in Panchkula, told TOI, "Our data cannot be wrong. However, I will have to check and study the said report."
This is not the first time monitoring data from Panchkula has raised eyebrows. Earlier, the city's air quality monitoring made headlines when its Air Quality Index (AQI) jumped from "poor" to "good" in a single day in November, inexplicably ranking as the second-best in the country despite widespread severe pollution episodes.
With the Kaushalya and Ghaggar rivers being key tributaries affecting downstream water quality in Haryana and Punjab, residents and environmental groups are calling for transparency and corrective action before irreversible damage is inflicted on the fragile river ecosystem.
