My first post thanks to Mehul

Majority of Punjab Rivers In India are polluted along with the sub terrain water beneath ground due to excessive use of pesticides, toxic effluents from plants and off course dumping of sewage http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060111/main8.htm
The present head of this board is my uncle and he mentioned to me Punjab irrigation uses high grade fertilizers for soil and crops are sprayed with pesticides ( read toxic for both). This all make into food stream and obviously one can see the impact on eco balance and increase of cancer in general human population. because of this the population of vultures is decreasing in substantial numbers in both the Punjab’s India and Pakistan. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041223/main6.htm

Similarly there was an article about declining population of hawks in Punjab because the shell of their eggs are so thin. The most amazing memories I have are of flight of Siberian geese coming in to land on Beas river. Now these birds also feed and breed in the same contaminated rivers of Punjab. The biggest of all and maybe most contaminiated wetland in Punjab is Harike Dam downstream on Sutlej river just before it flows into Pakistan.

I can only sum up dire state of things in a conversation I had with my mother in law who is visiting us in USA “ oh its nice to hear birds chirping in morning and see so many sparrows”!
I live in concrete jungle of New York City Manhattan to be precise and she is from Chandigarh Punjab go figure

Cheers
navi