‘Polluted’ groundwater: PPCB collects samples from village

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, December 5

After residents raised their voice against a dyeing unit accused of polluting groundwater in Mangat village on Rahon Road, Ludhiana, a Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) team visited the village on Tuesday. Accompanied by several villagers, the team collected water samples from four locations in the village. The villagers had complained about yellowish, foul-smelling water being drawn from certain tubewells. They attributed this to groundwater pollution.

The samples were specifically drawn from tubewells owned by three individuals (Kehar Singh, Pritpal Singh, Jagdev Singh) and one by the government. PPCB officials also inspected the dyeing unit’s effluent treatment plant, collecting a sample from its final outlet.

While demanding an investigation in the matter, the villagers alleged that the dyeing unit’s owner had excavated land near the factory to a depth of 5-6ft to dispose of untreated wastewater. They also accused the dyeing unit of emitting fly ash, causing pollution.

Kehar Singh Gill, a villager, said water from a tubewell near the dyeing unit was yellowish and emitting foul odour. He alleged that the dyeing unit is releasing untreated waste in the excavated land.

Villagers also alleged that previous complaints about the dyeing unit’s improper disposal of effluents was ignored by the PPCB authorities. Consequently, a community gathering was organised on Sunday to hold a protest.

Another resident, Gurpreet Mangat, said during the PPCB visit today, some villagers had urged the officials to drink water from the tubewells, but they refused to do so. He expressed concern about cancer-related deaths in the village and called for government intervention to prevent groundwater pollution. In addition to the PPCB-collected samples, the villagers collected four water samples on their own for future testing, he added.

PPCB SDO Bhisham said water samples from four tubewells were collected for testing, and reports are expected in the next 10 days. PPCB Executive Engineer Gurmeet Singh did not respond to phone calls.

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#Environment #Groundwater #Pollution #Punjab Pollution Control Board PPCB