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Pathankot reels under jaundice
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Pathankot, February 18
Jaundice has spread in many areas of the town, thanks to the untreated water being supplied by the local municipal council. Cases of water-borne diseases have also been reported from other areas of Pathankot district.

As per data collected by The Tribune, more than half of the residents of the town were being supplied water from tubewells without any treatment.

There are around 40 tubewells supplying potable water to a population of about two lakh in the town. Chlorine treatment plants are installed at 16 tubewells. Many of these treatment plants are non-functional.

The municipal council authorities said a proposal for installing 16 more chlorination plants had been sent to the Director, Local Government. However, the directorate had not cleared the proposal on the plea that the council must first clear its liabilities before carrying out any development work.

It is strange that samples of untreated water collected from various sources have been passed by the district health authorities.

A sudden spurt in water-borne diseases in the areas, however, expose the truth behind the quality of water being supplied in the town.

Following the reporting a large number of jaundice cases here the Civil Surgeon Gurdaspur, Mr Niranjan Singh Suman, ordered to stop water supply by the council to many areas of the town. Residents of the Shahpur Kandi and Lamini areas are now being supplied water through tankers. Chlorine tablets are also being distributed among them. Dr V.K. Jaswal, a local paediatrician, said many cases of jaundice had been reported from the Shahpur area. Generally, hepatitis-A virus infection was found in the patients. However, a few cases of hepatitis-E virus infection had also been noticed recently. He said cases of jaundice were being reported in all age groups and the children were the worst affected. The council authorities attribute the spread of water-borne diseases to old pipes and illegal water connections. They alleged the points from where the water was being contaminated had been identified and illegal connections were being removed.

The residents of the Shahpur area, where a maximum number of cases have been reported, however, said the sewer and the potable water supply pipes were laid side by side in the area.