73% water samples fail test in Muktsar

Tribune News Service

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Muktsar, August 20

Over 73 per cent water samples failed the potability test in Muktsar district over the first six months of the ongoing year.

Health Department officials had lifted 45 water samples from various places between January 1 and June 30, of which just 12 were found potable while the remaining 33 failed the test. The water samples that failed the test either had bacterial contamination or the hardness level was beyond the permissible limit.

Dr Harkirtan Singh, District Epidemiologist, Muktsar, said, “Our teams randomly lift water samples from public places. If the water sample is found non-potable, we do chlorination at the water source and repeat sampling as well. In some cases, we recommend the change of water source as well.”

Notably, the groundwater in most parts of the district is unfit for human consumption and a large number of reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plants are lying shut due to various snags. These RO plants were installed by the state government about 15 years ago in association with private companies.

“There is a risk of water-borne diseases and the government should make the RO water treatment plants functional in villages again. Groundwater is unfit for consumption and we have to fetch water in tankers for drinking purposes,” said Dimple Singh, Sukhpal Singh, Shamsher Singh, all residents of Rahurianwali village.