Rania grapples with water crisis, MP Selja seeks urgent action

After The Tribune highlighted the issue of contaminated groundwater contributing to rising cancer cases in Sant Nagar village of Rania area, Sirsa MP and senior Congress leader Kumari Selja wrote a letter to Chief Minister Nayab Saini. In her letter, Selja demanded the provision of clean drinking water and the deployment of medical teams to assess the health of those affected in the region.

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Sant Nagar, renowned for its hockey academy and famous Olympians like Didar Singh, Harpal Singh and Sardar Singh, is now grappling with a severe water crisis. For years, the government’s canal water project has remained incomplete, forcing residents to rely on contaminated underground water, which has led to an alarming increase in cancer cases in the village. In the past two months, three members of the same family have died from cancer. Despite the gravity of the situation, neither the Health Department has sent a medical team nor has any government assistance been provided.

In her letter, Kumari Selja emphasised that the people in the Rania block, particularly in Sant Nagar, are compelled to drink chemically polluted underground water. The Ghaggar river, once a vital water source for many villages, is now completely polluted, making the groundwater unsafe. Although a clean water project was approved years ago and a water treatment plant was set up in Dalip Nagar, no progress has been made.

Selja requested the Chief Minister to arrange for clean water from the Bhakra Canal, send a health team to examine the villagers and provide government-funded treatment for those suffering from cancer. She also called for a thorough water quality test across all villages to determine the safety of underground water for consumption.

Additionally, Selja pointed out that Sirsa is being unfairly treated when it comes to the supply of canal water. Previously, the area received three weeks of canal water each month, but now it is reduced to just one or two weeks, affecting both drinking water availability and irrigation for crops. She urged the Chief Minister to increase the canal water supply to ensure both clean drinking water and proper irrigation for agriculture.