Following the flow of pollutants and solid waste into the Sutlej that accumulated at the Ropar Headworks on Jattvibeday, causing concern among residents, the Ropar police has started investigating the matter. The investigation is aimed at tracing the sources of pollutants and solid waste entering the Sutlej through the Sirsa river and its tributaries.Ropar AAP MLA Dinesh Chadha, along with officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the investigating officer in the FIR registered by the Ropar police, on Tuesday visited several areas in Himachal Pradesh and Himachal-Haryana borders from where waste and pollutants are allegedly flowing into the Sirsa river system.Chadha, while talking to The Tribune, said he visited village Kenduwal, where a solid waste management facility catering to the Baddi area is located. He alleged that the facility was inadequate and that solid waste was being allowed to flow openly towards the Sirsa river.“The solid waste management site at Kenduwal is very small and solid waste is openly flowing into the Sirsa river. I spoke to local officials, who, requesting anonymity, told me that they had no funds to construct a wall along the Sirsa river,” Chadha said.The MLA said the visit had also brought to light the dumping of chemical and hazardous waste at two locations —  Nawanagar and Marawala — situated near the Haryana-Himachal Pradesh border. According to him, large quantities of chemical and hazardous waste had been dumped in local water channels, which eventually flow into the Sirsa river before joining the Sutlej.Common effluent treatment plant located in Marawala village in Baddi area.Chadha alleged that the dumping at these locations was being carried out by junk dealers. He said the movement of waste through the network of local rivulets and the Sirsa river posed a serious threat to the water quality of the Sutlej.The PPCB officials accompanying the MLA also found evidence of chemical waste disposal in the area.Vipan Jindal, Executive Engineer, PPCB, Ropar, said chemical bottles had been found dumped in rivulets in the Marawala and Nawanagar areas.“Chemical bottles were found dumped in rivulets in the Marawala and Nawanagar areas. We shall file a report with our counterparts in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh,” Jindal said.The findings have raised questions over the management and disposal of industrial and hazardous waste in areas adjoining Punjab. The flow of such waste through smaller rivulets into the Sirsa river is particularly significant as the river eventually enters the Sutlej, potentially carrying pollutants downstream.The issue came to the fore after a large quantity of solid waste and other pollutants accumulated at the Ropar Headworks on Jattvibeday. The waste was subsequently released downstream into the Sutlej, triggering concern among local residents and environmental activists.Meanwhile, sources said the Ropar police had written to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Ropar Range, seeking an investigation into the FIR registered on the complaint of MLA Dinesh Chadha regarding pollutants entering the Sutlej river.The police investigation is expected to examine the sources of the waste, the role of agencies responsible for waste management and possible violations relating to the dumping of hazardous and solid waste. Officials from Punjab are also expected to coordinate with their counterparts in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana to trace the flow of pollutants across state boundaries.The developments have brought renewed focus on the need for coordinated action by the three states to prevent untreated industrial, chemical and solid waste from entering rivers and ultimately reaching the Sutlej.