Editorial

 

Topic:- 150 villages in Moga district have polluted water resources.

Background; A water supply and sanitation department report says that out of 337 villages in Moga, around 150 villages boast of polluted water resources.

• Traces of Uranium and other heavy metals have been found.
• Apart from Uranium, Aluminium, Nitrate, Iron, Nickel, lead etc have also been found.

The factsheet about the pollutants is:-

• Uranium in 82 villages. ( Including district headquarters   in Moga).
• Aluminium in 21 villages.
• Mercury and Selenium in one village.
• Iron in 35 villages.
• Nitrate, Iron, Nickel and Lead in 52 villages.
• Also, the quantity of Uranium is 50% over and above the WHO norms.
• Around 3000 persons have died in the region due to various types of carcinogenic or cancer-causing diseases.
• So, in this regard, the Punjab government will undertake the Surface Water Supply Scheme ( at the estimated cost of rupees 176.11 crores) to provide canal water for the villages.

Some problems have surfaced in the water resources of the state:-

• The overexploitation of groundwater resources.
• Cultivation of water-guzzling crops such as rice.
• Erratic rainfall pattern, leading to drying up of surface water sources.
• Dumping of industrial effluents and other Wastes into the rivers and rivulets.  E.g. langar wastes and municipal wastes are being dumped. Into holy Kali Bein.
• Lack of initiative from the government as well as the civil society.

What can be done:-

• Aquifer management and mapping studies could be undertaken to know the actual situation of the groundwater.
• Sustainable management of wetlands and surface water resources.
• The experts such As Rajinder Singh ( the waterman of India ) could be roped in.
• Besides, Involvement of citizens should be bolstered as water conservation should be turned into a social revolution.

(Source:- The Tribune)

Question:- Analyse the recent water supply and sanitation department report.

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