 S Tahir-ul Haq
Early Times Report
BARAMULLA, Sept 19: The government is spending huge amount on water resources and uses machinery to purify the water for safe drinking, and one can believe that history has gone to show that water was a basic living ingredient. Communities were developed along waterways, but today we see River Jhelum has turned into garbage sites, as the fresh example is of Nagbal Ladoora in Baramulla. Sources said that there are scores of villages in Baramulla area including Nagbal Ladoora, Trakpora, Nowgam, Ferozpora and other adjoining areas that are facing acute shortage of safe drinking water.
The local residents of Nagbal Lodoora have complained of safe drinking water facility, as they believe that, the garbage that is thrown by the people, different departments could be a serious problem for the general masses, especially those who uses it for drinking, sources told Early Times.
One can have visit of Nagbal Ladoora, and see how the Jhelum has been turned into garbage dumping sites, the local residents of these areas believe that waterborne diseases are caused by drinking contaminated or dirty water.
Contaminated water can cause many types of diarrheal diseases, including Cholera, and other serious illnesses such as Guinea worm disease, Typhoid, and Dysentery, said local resident of Ladoora.
The Public Health Engineering had dug a water pump on the banks of river Jhelum in Nagbal Ladoora, and people used to drink the pure water from there, but now the people are being supplied contaminated water from rivers and that could be dangerous for health. However Flood and Irrigation Department have made an excuse that it is not their job to clean the garbage and other debris from river Jhelum, said sources. "Many times in past the people of these areas have approached the departments concerned to put a ban on throwing garbage into the river, but neither the department of F&I nor the locals are bothered about it.
The river Jhelum is fast deteriorating, as illegal dumping of waste has ruined it, and we are forced to drink the same water, and there could be a water borne diseases, if the issue was not solved at the earliest, said locals. |
