Tung Dhab Drain was Dug up in 1955 to prevent floods, the drain originates from Gurdaspur and falls into Lahore’s Hudiara drain, which merges in Ravi river.
The drain passed through middle of Amritsar Holy City, Both side of drain are densely populated. 

Drain releases stench throughout the year. The problem gets intensified in summer as toxic gases lead to malfunctioning of electronic gadgets, including refrigerators, air-conditioners (ACs) and televisions, which need frequent servicing. The Bad toxic smell emanating from the drain makes it impossible to breathe in surrounding areas.

Its toxic effluents made it a fit case to study, which has been done by multiple agencies. All these studies pointed out that persistently toxic industrial effluents were being released into the drain, which resulted in highly-contaminated groundwater and poor air quality around it. Heavy metals, chemicals and industrial effluents have percolated into sub-soil and aquifers, which adversely affect human health.

The studies were conducted by PGIMER, Chandigarh, Chemistry Department of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in collaboration with Aquatic Biology Laboratory of GNDU. These studies found evidence of eye and skin ailments, endocrine disruptions, cancer and congenital defects among people, besides damaging children’s DNA.