Hisar villagers protest contaminated water supply

Agitated over the drinking water crisis, residents of Mingni Khera village in Hisar district locked the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) waterworks and staged a protest in the village on Friday.

The villagers alleged that the situation had deteriorated due to the lack of maintenance of the water tanks. They claimed the tanks had not been cleaned or repaired for years, resulting in the supply of contaminated water to households. Due to consumption of this water, water-borne diseases such as jaundice were reportedly spreading in the village, posing a serious health threat.

Residents said they had repeatedly lodged complaints with the district administration. Social organisations had also approached the Chief Minister’s Office, but officials allegedly submitted misleading reports to suppress the issue, leaving the situation unresolved.

Angered by what they termed continuous departmental negligence, villagers led by members of the Lions Youth Club and the Gram Panchayat gathered at the water facility and locked the tank to mark their protest against the administration.

In a joint statement, village Sarpanch Jang Bahadur, Youth Club president Vishal and social activists Navneet Karwasra and Om Prakash, along with other Panchayat members and club representatives, warned that the protest would be intensified if the drinking water issue was not resolved at the earliest.

PHED Executive Engineer Kanchan did not respond to calls seeking her version on the villagers’ allegations.