Patiala October 13:
Noted environmentalist and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal said that a whopping 4,000 persons become victims of cancer in Punjab every year. The main reason: contaminated water, he said.
Speaking to mediapersons here, he said the water in Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah and Kala Sangha drain near Jalandhar had become so poisonous that presently there were no animals in these water bodies. “If animals can’t survive in these water bodies, one can easily imagine that the situation is very serious,” he asserted, while adding that the quality of water in the state had deteriorated a lot.
He expressed concern that there had been cases wherein people lost their lives because of consuming unfit drinking water. “We have been to Bikaner Cancer Hospital. It was shocking to know that of the over 6,000 cancer patients being admitted to this hospital annually, nearly 4,000 are from Punjab alone,” he said. Seechewal said these figures clearly showed that something has to be done to purify the water and make it fit for human consumption.
Replying to a query about the water in Arnetu village of Pattran subdivision here, Seechwal said, “It is the responsibility of the department concerned to look into the matter and take appropriate steps for providing pure drinking water to the village inhabitants.” Seechewal, however, lauded the steps being taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to ensure that rivers in Punjab were cleaned at the earliest.
“The announcement of a project of Rs 2,300 crore for cleaning the rivers of the state is a commendable work,” he added. He also said Punjab had immense water but there was need for concerted effort to ensure people get pure drinking water. “Also, if the government establishes proper plants for treatment of water in order to make it fit for irrigation, it will immensely help the agriculture sector as well,” he opined.
Noted environmentalist and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal said that a whopping 4,000 persons become victims of cancer in Punjab every year. The main reason: contaminated water, he said.
Speaking to mediapersons here, he said the water in Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah and Kala Sangha drain near Jalandhar had become so poisonous that presently there were no animals in these water bodies. “If animals can’t survive in these water bodies, one can easily imagine that the situation is very serious,” he asserted, while adding that the quality of water in the state had deteriorated a lot.
He expressed concern that there had been cases wherein people lost their lives because of consuming unfit drinking water. “We have been to Bikaner Cancer Hospital. It was shocking to know that of the over 6,000 cancer patients being admitted to this hospital annually, nearly 4,000 are from Punjab alone,” he said. Seechewal said these figures clearly showed that something has to be done to purify the water and make it fit for human consumption.
Replying to a query about the water in Arnetu village of Pattran subdivision here, Seechwal said, “It is the responsibility of the department concerned to look into the matter and take appropriate steps for providing pure drinking water to the village inhabitants.” Seechewal, however, lauded the steps being taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to ensure that rivers in Punjab were cleaned at the earliest.
“The announcement of a project of Rs 2,300 crore for cleaning the rivers of the state is a commendable work,” he added. He also said Punjab had immense water but there was need for concerted effort to ensure people get pure drinking water. “Also, if the government establishes proper plants for treatment of water in order to make it fit for irrigation, it will immensely help the agriculture sector as well,” he opined.
