Varinder Walia
Tribune News ServiceMahal (Amritsar), July 10
Residents of Mahal village — an urban fringe of the holy city of Amritsar near a sewage disposal drain — are getting polluted water. And a study conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has shown DNA damage among residents.
The study was aimed at assessing the geno-toxic effect and exposure to polluted groundwater. Mahal village is situated a few metres away from the university campus. Another sample of women who were drinking safe water was taken to compare the genetic changes which were visible in the residents of Mahal village.
In the absence of regular water supply , the residents of the village are forced to drink water contaminated by industrial pollutants, sewage waste, pesticides and insecticides from the hand pumps which has become a health hazard. The village has no sewage system. Consumption of water having heavy metal has already left hundreds of residents suffering from chronic diseases.
At least one member of a family is suffering from one or the other health problem.
As the Tung Dhab drain, which passes near Guru Nanak Dev University carries foul smelling, murky, polluted water with effluents from various industries it is must probable that some pollutants may have seeped into the village. The consumption of contaminated water is reported to induce DNA damage, the study reveals.
The study conducted by the university’s Department of Genetics, comprising Ms Vasudha Sambyal, Ms Rupinder Kaur, Ms Shuchi Amar and Sonia Choudhary took the sample of 150 women of the village including 62 who had been living since birth and 88 who migrated to Mahal from areas within 100 km of Amritsar city after their marriages. These women used groundwater for all their household purposes. Being housewives they had a continuous exposure to the ground water of the village. Anothergroup of 100 (controlled) women was selected from Amritsar city. These women had municipal tap water for drinking and household purposes and did not reside near the sewage disposal drain or industrial unit like Mahal village.
A visit to the village presented a pitiable condition of residents who have been suffering from various diseases, especially stomach and dental. In certain cases, all the family members complain of chronic diseases — the result of drinking polluted water.
Mr Prabhdyal Singh Randhawa, a renowned social activist, alleged that effluents of 26 mills flow into the Tung Dhab drain. He said if the local administration or state government failed to take corrective measures, the disease may result in an epidemic in the village. Mr Bhajan Singh, a convener of ‘Mahal Bachao Action Committee’ said the villagers would launch an agitation if the departments concerned failed to come to their rescue.
