Phillaur, January 1
Chemically treated discharge from tanneries at Ramdaspura Mohalla in Nangal village, near here, has been playing havoc with the lives of humans and livestock for the past many years.
After facing a threat from the toxic discharge, residents of the village had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court twice.
The residents said owners of the tanneries had set up a water treatment plant following the directions of the High Court but they hardly bothered to operate it.
The toxic water that has been accumulating in the village has even contaminated ground water.
“Most of the hand pumps have been drawing stinking water,” said Mr Iqbal Singh, a resident, who had filed a petition in the High Court.
He said earlier there were over 130 tanneries in the village and now these had been reduced to 30. A majority of the residents had been operating tanneries illegally from their houses.
The villagers claimed that a report of the Punjab Pollution Control Board said: “Ninety-five per cent ground water has been contaminated with toxic agents like sulphur. The
water treatment plant is just an eyewash.” The residents have demanded that the tanneries should be shifted from the locality.Mr Amarjit Singh, a villager said: “Contamination in the ground water is so high that a foam like substance accumulates at the site where a deep bore tubewell pumps it out. The agriculture yield has declined.”
Tannery owners, however, claimed that they had already set up a water treatment plant following the court orders.
Mr Rakesh Kumar, a tannery owner, claimed: “There was no residential area when the tanneries were set up. The population has increased in the vicinity of the tanneries so the residents have started targeting the tanneries for their own interests.”
