As the Panjab waters conflagration enters into another chapter, with political protests and the Supreme Court judgement looming large on the horizon, each Panjabi and not just the rural sector needs to understand the overall Environmental situation in the Panjab. This research encompasses details of degradation of water and its loot on both sides of the Radcliff line. This was first published in the WSN 9 years back on 28 July 2008.

Many of the wars this century (twentieth) were about oil, But those of the next century (twenty-first) will be over water. –Dr Ismail Serageldin, ex-World Bank vice president for environmental affairs and chairman of the World Water Commission in 1995.

Water is a precious commodity in every arid country in the world as it sustains life. In Panjab, water is all the more meaningful because the very existence of Panjab depends on the waters of the five rivers. Moreover, water plays an important role in the spiritual and cultural beliefs of the Punjabis. The Panjabi Hindus use water for tirath isnaan (baths at places of pilgrimage) to purify the body and the Panjabi Muslims perform wudhu (ablutions) with it prior to performing prayers. The Sikhs use it for amrit (baptism ceremonies) and have sarowars (tanks of water) at their Gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship).  Accordingly, the rivers of Panjab are not only resources but places of reverence and homage that have very important value for its people.

Introduction to Panjab

Panjab, the famous Land of Five Rivers is a semi-arid landlocked region in the north – western part of South Asia. Its name is derived from the Persian words panj meaning five and ab meaning water (Latif, 1891).  Panjab, in fact, represents the vast fertile plain through which the five rivers flow after they leave the Himalayan Mountain ranges. The five rivers of Panjab, all tributaries of the mighty Indus River, are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej (from west to east). These five tributaries have their originating source in the Himalayan Mountains as small lakes and rely on melting snows and monsoon rains.

They flow in a northeast to southwest direction across the immense alluvial plain of Panjab. The confluence of the five rivers of Panjab is at a place named Panjnad (the five streams). The river waters then enter the Indus River, which finally ends in the Arabian Sea.

Panjab has a semi-arid subtropical continental climate with four distinct seasons. Summer is excessively hot and dry between April and August while winters are generally cool with some frosts. Historically, however, this Land of Five Rivers has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947. Agricultural production in India and Pakistan depends to a large extent on Panjab and it was in this region that the Green Revolution was a success. Thus, this highly productive region is known as the ‘bread-basket’ of both countries as it supplies more than 60% of their food grains requirements. Although efforts have been made to look at the environmental issues affecting all parts of Panjab, the main emphasis of this report has been on Punjab state in India, which has borne the brunt of the environmental degradation.

“The five rivers of Panjab, all tributaries of the mighty Indus River, are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej (from west to east). These five tributaries have their originating source in the Himalayan Mountains as small lakes and rely on melting snows and monsoon rains.”

Environmental History of Panjab

Panjab was among the first in the world to develop a civilisation based on settled agriculture. It was here that the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BC, which is acknowledged as one of the great historic achievements of the human race (Clark, 1969) was established. It was an urban literate civilisation with developed agriculture based on an organised system of irrigation by inundation and the use of the plough (Thapar, 1975). Archaeologists have now come to the conclusion that the cities of Mohenjodharo and Harappa of this civilization fell when waterlogging caused a build-up of salt in the soils and the crops failed’ (Pearce, 1992).

In addition, the construction of buildings with kiln-fired bricks required huge amounts of wood. Within a few hundred years, the people had cleared the forests, causing severe erosion of the farmlands. An environmental disaster occurred in ancient Panjab because of the salinization and erosion of farmlands caused by intensive irrigation systems, deforestation, and over-grazing by domesticated animals coupled with the added pressure of climate changes. However, the over-exploitation of the environment for short-term gains while ignoring the long-term consequences was a major cause. Today history is repeating itself once again.

Panjab was in complete harmony with its resources and environment. It was a vast region of diverse ecosystems including mountain and riverine forests, open scrub woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, and freshwater aquatic ecosystems such as rivers, canals and choes (seasonal rivulets). The diverse habitats co-existed largely unspoilt until the region lost its independence in 1849. The British Raj brought commercial agriculture and indulged their predilection for big game hunting (Shikars), driving tigers, leopards, wolves, cheetah and bears almost to the brink of extinction (Rai, 2005). However, it was not until the Green Revolution of the 1960s brought a dramatic increase in the use of intensive irrigation, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that decisive environmental degradation set in.

“Kisey Panjabi de des nooh berbadh kar raheh,
Waikhaan aah ke kadoh tikh kareh gah.

A Panjabi’s homeland is being destroyed,
Lets see when he comes to put things right.
–(Paraphrase of a Sufi Kalam by Pir Mian Mohammad Bakhsh)
”

Environmental Degradation of Panjab

Panjab today faces major environmental concerns with water scarcity, groundwater depletion, water pollution, dry water sources, eutrophication, land degradation, degradation of watersheds, waterlogging, salinization, flooding, water erosion, soil erosion, wind erosion, drought, and desertification. Climate change is exacerbating all of these problems as the result of increased greenhouse gases and global warming.

Panjab is also beset by other environmental concerns such as air pollution, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, excessive use of pesticides, GM crops, improper waste disposal, unsustainable energy use, polluting transport, unsustainable housing and noise pollution. This is the result of changes brought about by the impact of political, economical and social factors. Shiva discovered that rather than abundance, Punjab state has been left with diseased soils, pest-infested crops, water-logged deserts, and indebted and discontented farmers. Instead of peace, Punjab (state) has inherited conflict and violence (Shiva, 1993).  

“Panjab, today, is in dire need of visionaries and extraordinarily principled Panjabis who will pave the way for collective national and international action. This will be critical and vital if Panjab is to confront the greatest threat it has ever faced the wilful, deliberate and wanton destruction of the Land of Five Rivers.”

The environmental degradation of Panjab is a slow, everyday phenomenon (and therefore, perhaps, more pervasive) which does not fit into a neat category of crisis (Sharma, 2001). The need of the times is to be to come to the rescue of the affected area at the first call of distress, instead of waiting for the situation to become totally hopeless and then there will be no way back. In actual fact, the environmental degradation of Panjab has triggered a positive feedback loop a system begins to move in a certain direction, and then responds to change in a way that makes the process faster and faster. Thus, we are headed into a downward spiral of deterioration and destruction.

Hope for the Future

Kisey Panjabi de des nooh berbadh kar raheh,

Waikhaan aah ke kadoh tikh kareh gah.

A Panjabi’s homeland is being destroyed,

Lets see when he comes to put things right.

–(Paraphrase of a Sufi Kalam by Pir Mian Mohammad Bakhsh)

Panjab, the very name stands for abundance of water, but the present situation of water resources in the region is highly critical with water scarcity, water pollution, depletion of groundwater and insufficient drinking water. However, water issues in Panjab are now so snarled in the politics of ethnicity and ethnic nationalism that they cannot be untangled. A clumsy water decision could still set off a major insurrection (De Villiers, 1999). It is clear that until the dispute over the rights to the river waters is settled, the Punjab (state) crisis will continue to simmer and may even escalate again. The Indian government is fully aware of this issue and it has been noted that the scarcity of water in the entire Indo – Gangetic area will make water security an extremely important issue (Malik, 1999). As the conflict over the environment intensifies, it must be recognised that the environment is the national security issue of the early 21st century (Kaplan, and Rieff, 2000).

Meanwhile, Panjab’s rivers of living waters are being diverted or choked off under our very noses and the homeland is being destroyed to keep crops growing where they do not belong. For most people in Panjab, the path to water for drinking and irrigation has been made extremely difficult. Moreover, where water scarcity and environmental degradation occur, it is the poor, the landless and the women who have always been adversely affected (Rai, 2001).  

The situation in Panjab is a classic example of a sub-group pursuing its own private interest at the expense of the wider group, even to the point of environmental suicide. There are others who are either ignorant, sceptical or in denial of the facts staring them in their faces. Corruption, fraud, wastage, red tape, bureaucratic delays, poor management of biological resources, deficiencies in environmental knowledge and lack of conservation measures are major factors that have lead to the present sorry state of the environment. Added to this are economic systems that fail to value the environment and its resources and the unsustainable consumption of resources. Thus, Punjab state in India has borne the brunt of the environmental degradation due to political manipulations. The other parts of Panjab are also facing various stages of environmental degradation. Thus an environmental injustice is being committed against the Panjabi people, who have the right to protect their historical homeland and seek justice (Rai, 2001).   

The desire for clean air, water and soil transcends caste, religion and gender and the movement to protect these basic human rights offers an unprecedented opportunity for Panjabis to come together with a common purpose.  

The only thing that can counteract the present environmental vandalism of Panjab is for Panjabis worldwide to band together, lobby and cry out to save the homeland. A few lone voices in the wilderness of the environmental movement in Panjab and here in Britain are trying to make the governments of India and Pakistan face up to the reality of the situation (Rai, 2005).

It is clear that environmental advocacy is about recognizing that we have to preserve the basic infrastructure of natural systems; they connect us to the lands that remind us of our history (Kennedy, 2004).

Panjab, today, is in dire need of visionaries and extraordinarily principled Panjabis who will pave the way for collective national and international action. This will be critical and vital if Panjab is to confront the greatest threat it has ever faced the wilful, deliberate and wanton destruction of the Land of Five Rivers.