In Rajasthan, no supply from ‘polluted’ canal

Jaipur, May 21

Contaminated with dead fish and snakes, water from Punjab has entered Rajasthan through Indira Gandhi canal, prompting the authorities to stop drinking water supply from the canal as a precautionary measure.

“The water in the canal is black and red. It emanates a foul smell. Dead fish and snakes have been spotted. Therefore, its supply to storage tanks has been stopped,” Vinod Jain, SE, Public Health, Sriganganagar, said.

He said already stored potable water would now be supplied to the public till the issue was resolved in a couple of days. “As the canal water is highly polluted and stinking, we are not supplying it for drinking purposes. Samples are being collected for running tests.” The drinking water supply to Sriganganagar district is 50,000 kilo litres per day. 

In Bikaner, too, the drinking water supply from the canal has been stopped for the time being. The SE of Hanumangarh said the water samples collected had been sent to the state pollution control board in Jaipur.

On May 17, a large number of fish were found dead in the Beas after molasses from a sugar factory spilled into the river in Beas town, 40 km from Amritsar. — PTI