Water contaminated, Ferozepur villagers fear disease outbreak

Residents of at least a dozen villages along the Sutlej here are staring at the outbreak of disease due to contamination of water resources as the floodwaters recede.

Several villagers complained that black water was thrown out by borewells and handpumps when they drew groundwater for drinking and washing purposes. This has forced them to rely on bottled water being supplied by non-governmental organisations and other good Samaritans.

State Health Minister Balbir Singh, who today visited flood-affected villages, also expressed concern over the situation. He appealed to villagers to use chlorine tablets, boil water and consume ORS-mixed water to stay safe.

The minister also directed health officials to identify affected villages and ensure supply of clean drinking water at the earliest.

The problem is acute in villages such as Nihala Lavera, Dheera Ghara, Talli Gulam, Kaluwala, Tandiwala, Bhane Wali Basti and Navi Gatti Rajo Ke, where people have been forced to rely on bottled water supplied by NGOs. Mandeep Kaur, a resident of Dheera Ghara village, said when she returned home after the floods, she found that black coloured foul-smelling water was coming from out from handpump.

“I never thought that in Punjab, known as the land of five rivers, we would be forced to drink bottled water to survive,” she said.

Gurjant Singh, sarpanch of Nihala Lavera village, said the entire village was facing the same problem.

“So far, no clean water tanks have been provided by the administration. Villagers are surviving only on bottled water supplied by good samaritans. The government must install RO systems in villages to prevent diseases,” he urged.

Malkeet Singh of Kaluwala village, which is surrounded by the Sutlej on three sides, said the water contamination was severe there. “The water from borewells and handpumps is unfit for human consumption,” he said.