Canal water polluted, Rajasthan sounds alert

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 10

The Indira Gandhi Nahar Department (IGND) in Rajasthan has sounded an alert across Hanumangarh, Bikaner and Jaisalmer divisions of the desert state in the wake of release of polluted water in the Rajasthan feeder canal from Harike in Ferozepur.

As water in the Rajasthan feeder canal and the Sirhind feeder canal turned black, and has been emitting stink in the area for the past three days, many environmentalists and residents of Faridkot raised their voice against the rising level of pollution in the canals.

The Rajasthan feeder canal is also known as the Indira Gandhi Canal. Not only this canal, but also the polluted water in Harike head affected the Gang Canal, said a senior functionary in the IGND. “We are bringing the issue of contaminated water into the notice of the state and the Union Government. For the time being, we have sounded an alert, asking people to be cautious in using the canal water,” he said.

On Tuesday, NGOs and residents in Faridkot staged a protest here, near Rajasthan and Sirhind feeder canals.They protested the flow of ‘toxic’ water from Jalandhar city and the Buddha nullah in the Sutlej. They alleged the Buddha nullah picked up effluents and untreated sewage, while passing through Ludhiana, before dumping it all in the Sutlej. For a stretch of about 65 km, from Harike in Ferozepur to Faridkot, the water has turned ‘dark’. The canals also supply water to Faridkot, Muktsar and Abohar. Kultar Singh Sandhwan, AAP MLA, said the polluted water was a hazard to people’s health.