Jarag village residents seek probe into contamination of groundwater

Residents of Jarag village, known for the famous cultural and religious Jarag Da Mela, have demanded a probe into the alleged contamination of groundwater, making it unfit for human consumption.

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A deep pond, once dug on the pretext of executing a project, was cited as a major reason for the situation wherein water pumped out by submersibles at many places in the village was declared unfit by the authorities in the health department.

While successive governments have been accused of showing indifference towards demands being raised by the residents regarding basic amenities, some whistleblowers, including NRIs and social activists, have threatened to launch an agitation if action is not taken against those responsible for the alleged degradation of environment and deterioration of water quality.

Sarpanch Sarabjit Singh Mander acknowledged that the pond was dug over four years back during the tenure of the previous civic body. “Though water pumped out with submersibles at various places has been declared unfit for human consumption, we have called upon residents to consume water being supplied through connections installed by the civic body,” said Mander.

Villagers led by a social activist Gurdeep Singh Kali and NRI Jassie Mander alleged that successive governments had failed to provide basic amenities in the village and check contamination of groundwater.

“Though health officials led by inspector Shingara Singh Mullanpur had initiated a process for verifying the purity of groundwater, no action has since been taken after all the five samples sent for testing were found to be unfit for human consumption,” said Kali maintaining that higher authorities including CM Bhagwant Mann had been urged to initiate a probe and take action against those found responsible for unauthorised digging of a pond in the village.

A perusal of records revealed that all the five samples of water sent to State Public Health Laboratory in Kharar through the office of Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, were found to be unfit for drinking. Besides showing extremely high TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), these samples exhibited a higher percentage of Coliform bacteria, signifying potential contamination from sources like sewage, animal waste or poorly maintained water systems.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Payal, Pardeep Bains had earlier advised the BDPOs concerned to inquire into allegations levelled by the residents but no action has been taken to stop further contamination of

groundwater in the village and surrounding localities.

The healthcare personnel led by SMO, Mannupur, Dr Ravi Datt and Inspector Shingara Singh organised a check-up and diagnostic test camp at Jarag on Wednesday. Blood samples of 140 persons were collected to rule out the possibility of infection by any pathogen. However, reports of collected samples were yet to be received.