Villages still not getting clean water

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, June 1

Two weeks after contaminated water was released in some canals, a number of villages are still not getting potable water as many waterworks are yet to become operational.

As a result, people are being forced to either use underground water, which has been declared unfit for human consumption in most parts of the district, or buy it from private reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plants.

JPS Brar, a resident of Sheranwala village, said, “The water supply through waterworks is yet to be resumed in our village. The RO system in the village is supplying underground water without even treating it. In such circumstances, a majority of residents are fetching water from their tubewells. The authorities must speed up the repair process and supply clean water at the earliest.”

A village sarpanch said the tank of the local waterworks was cleaned on Friday. “We are hopeful of starting the water supply soon,” he said.

In other villages too the situation was almost similar. “The water supply is yet to become normal. Senior officers must visit villages to know about the ground situation,” a villager said.

When contacted, Kuldeep Saini, Superintending Engineer, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Muktsar, said, “The supply has been resumed from all waterworks. We have started taking samples daily from the inlets. If a water sample fails the test at our local laboratory, then we will send it to the state laboratory for a detailed analysis.”