Cancer scare: Water samples of Abohar village to be tested

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, January 21

Taking cognisance of reports that some residents of waterlogged Dharangwala village, 14 km from here, are suffering from disabilities and cancer, SDM Poonam Singh on Monday visited the area and interacted with the affected families. The SDM was accompanied by officials of other state departments.

The team observed that there was no fresh case of any physical disability and cancer cases were also old.

The SDM, however, directed officials of the Public Health and Sanitation Department to collect water samples and get them tested at a Mohali-based lab to ascertain the presence of uranium. The SDM also formed a committee comprising Tehsildar Avinash Chander, Senior Medical Officer Dr Amita Chaudhary and psychiatrist Dr Mahesh Kumar to conduct a comprehensive survey and submit a fact-based report for further action. Earlier, experts had referred another village, Dangarkhera, located on the Abohar-Fazilka road, as cancer-prone with at least 12 deaths reported in 2014. Most of the villagers were found suffering from water-borne diseases.

The then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had also organised a sangat darshan programme at the village after reports were highlighted at the international level.

The Health Department had conducted a survey that indicated the spread of diseases due to contaminated water not only at Dangarkhera but also in the neighbouring belt.

However, there is little follow-up barring the de-silting of village ponds and the installation of RO systems in government schools.

In a number of memorandums to the authorities concerned, residents had said that successive (SAD-BJP alliance) governments had failed to take effective steps to check the menace.