Haryana: Activists take mud bath to protest water scarcity

JIND: The ninth day of the sit-in to seek irrigation and potable water to 11 villages of Narwana saw around a dozen men taking mud bath on Friday to push for their demand. The villagers of Dharodi, Belarkha, Kharal, Frain Kalan, Frain Khurd, Karmgrah, Nahra, Khanpur, Hamergrah, Loan and Kanhakhera have been protesting and seeking water for a long time.
Talking to mediapersons, Sumit Kumar, a native of Dharodi village, said they have submitted a memorandum to the state government requesting it to connect Bhakhra canal to their old minor canal.
"If government doesn't take us seriously, we would stop trains passing through this area. We have water scarcity and because of poor quality of water available here, villagers are getting serious ailments like cancer."
"If someone drinks the water available in this area for three days he or she would suffer from stomach problems," he added.
Krishan Dutt, a native of Khanpur village, said: "The ground water is making villagers really sick. Instances of diseases like cancer and hepatitis C are increasing with passage of time."
"We don't even have potable water and forced to buy water from outside," he added.
Deputy commissioner Aditya Dahiya said the district administration had no authority to connect Bhakhra canal to the Dharodi minor. "The matter would have to be taken up with the state government. I have asked officials concerned to provide potable water in the villages till the crisis over," he said.