Purity test for water

The concern over the state of groundwater in Punjab has been rising of late. In the latest instance, nearly half the water samples failed the purity test in Muktsar district that is among the worst affected as far as the prevalence of diseases like cancer and hepatitis C are concerned. The crisis in Punjab is three-fold. First, because of the heavy contamination in groundwater, toxic metals have tended to creep into the sub-soil, resulting in cancer and other diseases. The magnitude of the problem is evident in the efforts that the state and the Centre have made to set up hospitals, both in the private and government sectors, to help people suffering from a variety of ailments. As per information procured under the RTI Act from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, water samples taken from Muktsar district between 2009 and 2013 had uranium content more than double the permissible limit. All this necessitates groundwater remediation before use and the reverse osmosis (RO) plants were set up in the state for the purpose.

The second aspect is the depletion of the water table, attributed in turn to the cropping pattern that induced excessive pumping of groundwater. It has raised alarm over the state facing aridity and desertification in future. Punjab has nearly 80 per cent of its land under agriculture and contributes more than 50 per cent of grain to the country’s food basket. All this obviously has come at a price with policies being tailored to sustain production. Another aspect is waterlogging and salinity. While the north and central districts of the state have fresh groundwater, it is mostly the south-western districts that face the problem, known as sem. The reason for waterlogging is the rising water table on account of seepage in canals.

The danger is now of salinity creeping into the districts which were relatively free of the problem. Measures should be taken to introduce agro-chemical practices that ensure food security without affecting human health and environment to put a check on the problem.  

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