What is the prime risk?
Cancer as a devastating terminal disease needs no introduction.When a possibility exists that you may get the life-destroying disease just by consumingand using the water of your neighbourhood, then this is understandably a cause forsleepless nights.
The department conducts tests
The Public Health and Sanitation Department performed freshsampling and testing and of these 16 have been found to contain carcinogenic chemicalsincluding arsenic in the drinking water supply.
Do you live in these villages?
These villages include Dolike, Sunderpur, Khanke, Fatehgarh,Chakki, Bachhowal, Bhaini, Burj Pukhta, Cheema Khurd, Kohlan Chalan, Bada Pind,Amarjitpur, Phillaur Kalan, Chachoki, Birk, Dhesian.
Who ruined my water?
The story is not new and has been repeated all over theworld from many centuries.
In economics, this is called negative externality. Thismeans that a third-party has to suffer due to a process which benefits someone.
See, these chemicals did not just materialise out ofnowhere. A long-drawn natural process has been putting these chemicals in watersupply.
Industrial pollution, including from the water guzzlerleather and dairy industries, in addition to residential sewage finds its wayino open (seasonal) rivers.
Once the untreated waste is dumped into water bodies in theopen, the harmful chemicals begin to seep into the soil.
Why should I suffer?
The water for human consumption is arranged from groundwaterby pumping and thus with the water these chemicals too find their way into yourglass of water, water used for bathing, water used for sanitation, and everyother activity.
Technical details
Safe limit for the chemical is less than 11.4 parts perbillion. In 2018, this was 3.5. Good, right? But now it is 688.
What is the future ahead?
As is often the case whenever conflict of interests happenswith for-profit endeavours and government, the government (and thus the individualsand organizations which are not exempted from tax) bears the burden of someoneelse’s profits.
So, here also, paying taxpayers’ money will be used andpurifiers will be installed to remove the chemicals which have been introducedinto the water because many are not shouldering their burden.
Still, some cost will be recovered from the consumers in theform of extra charge of Rs 0.15 to 0.20 per litre.