Contaminated canal water raises concern in Abohar, Fazilka dists

Fazilka: Contaminated canal water has become a major concern in Abohar and Fazilka districts. The Abohar Branch Canal, which originates from the Ferozepur feeder at the Harike headworks, carries water to Fazilka, supplying numerous villages through its distributaries. According to latest reports, it is unfit not only for humans, but also for agriculture, raising alarm among farmers and other residents.
The area of Abohar and Fazilka heavily relies on canal water, since subsurface water is unfit for drinking. Although the wheat crop does not require water at this stage, residents are feeling a scarcity of water for drinking, as the canal has been carrying contaminated black water for the last couple of weeks. This makes it unsuitable for storage in overhead tanks at waterworks, which supply filtered water to households. The farmers maintained that it appeared the water released after the reconstruction and repair work of the canal carried waste that got accumulated during the past few weeks.
Farmers from Fazilka district, who recently visited the Harike headworks in Ferozepur, the point from where water is released into these canals, found that the discoloured and polluted water was present right at the source. The Harike headworks are fed by the Sutlej and Beas rivers. Kisan Sangharsh Samiti spokespersons, Subhash Sehgal and Amar Singh Bishnoi, said the state govt was unable to tackle the problem faced by people in Fazilka district and neighbouring Sri Ganganagar, which is called the "Punjab of Rajasthan".
Bishnoi said Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma had also visited Harike Barrage and Ferozepur headworks last week, through which water was supplied to remote areas of Abohar, Fazilka, and Jalalabad in Punjab; and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan. "The team from Rajasthan expressed concern over the issue," Bishnoi said.
Meanwhile, the Abohar municipal corporation took measures to tacke the situation, and kept the inlets shut, fearing such toxic water could not be cleaned even by the new water treatment plant that chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann inaugurated a few months ago. Most of the councillors confirmed that consumers in their wards could not be supplied water as only four tube-wells were operational to store and supply groundwater, and the demand for water increased manifold due to the rising temperature.
When contacted, Abohar Canal division executive engineer Vinod Suther said the contamination was due to the accumulation of silt and waste in the Harike Barrage pond area. As Rajasthan canals emanating from the barrage were not drawing water to their capacity, silt continued to flow in the canal system that fed Abohar and the surrounding areas. "Senior authorities were duly informed about this situation. Improvement is expected soon," he added.
On Thursday, environment activist and Punjabi actor-filmmaker Amitoj Mann visited Abohar to interact with farmers. Mann said, "Contaminated water is coming from Ludhiana and even from Himachal Pradesh, where industrial growth is happening. The govt needs to act seriously to ensure the supply of safe drinking water to the masses."
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