70% groundwater ‘unfit’ in Jind

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jind, June 9

The official figures of water supply seem at variance from the ground reality raising doubts about the utilisation of grants to strengthen the delivery system in the district.

While figures by the Public Health Engineering Department reveal a supply of 70 - 135 litre per capita per day (LPCD) to residents, complaints for shortage of drinking water are rising in the district.

Sources said a majority of the residents are dependent on canal water as 70 per cent of the groundwater is unfit for human consumption due to high level of chloride and salinity while in the remaining area, groundwater is drinkable.

Though the authorities have constructed 160 water works in the district, a majority of villages are facing a shortage of water.

MLA Dr hari Chand Middha said, “As many as 18 villages in my constituency have been without water and I have repeatedly asked the PHE during the last two years to take action, but to no avail.

Official figures indicate that the authorities have been supplying 135 LPCD in Jind, Safidon, Uchana and Narwana, but complaints are routine from these areas. In Julana, officials claim to have been supplying 70 LPCD daily still this area is worst hit as 50 per cent of the villages do not receive water.

“Out of 72 villages, 35 are facing water problems as canal based water projects are not working properly. In some villages like Shadipur, new tubewells have been installed, but they not operational,” alleged Julana MLA Parminder Dhull.

Executive Engineer D S Dalal he said efforts are on to augment the water supply.

Salinity high 

A majority of the residents are dependent on canal water as 70 per cent of the groundwater is unfit for human consumption due to high level of chloride and salinity. 

35 villages in dire straits

Out of 72 villages, 35 are facing water problems as canal-based water projects are not working properly. In some villages such as Shadipur, new tubewells have been installed, but they not operational" Parminder Dhull Julana MLA