Over 20 villages in Sirsa district get unsafe drinking water supply
A serious water crisis is affecting over 20 villages in Rania block of Sirsa district. Sirsa city too is getting unsafe water supply. Residents of these areas are forced to consume unsafe groundwater. The supply of canal water is unavailable at present. Recent lab tests by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) have confirmed that the underground water in these areas contains dangerously high levels of harmful substances.
The tests were conducted after MP Kumari Selja raised the issue following an earlier report published in these columns of The Tribune. The water samples were taken from various parts of Sirsa and Rania, including Balasar Road, Bajigar Thehar, Firozabad Road, Gobindpura, Himmatpura, Mehna Khera, Chakkan, Sant Nagar and several other locations. The lab reports revealed excessive levels of fluoride, total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness, calcium and magnesium, well above the safe limits prescribed for drinking water.
Experts warn that fluoride levels above 1.5 mg/l and TDS beyond 300 mg/l make water unfit for human consumption. In many areas from where water samples were tested, the TDS ranged between 1,000 to 2,000 mg/l, a level considered dangerous. This can lead to serious health problems such as kidney stones, high blood pressure, stomach issues, bone weakness and even neurological disorders.
In Sant Nagar, locals reported cases of cancer from one household, believed to be linked to long-term consumption of polluted water.
MP Kumari Selja wrote a detailed letter to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, demanding immediate action. She pointed out that earlier, some villages received drinking water from the Bhakra canal, but the supply was discontinued. As a result, residents were now forced to rely on chemically contaminated groundwater, unsuitable for drinking or irrigation.
In response to her letter, the government acknowledged that many villages in Rania block do not receive canal water and admitted that the groundwater was not safe. The letter stated that steps were being taken to improve water supply in 29 villages. However, the situation remains dire in most areas.
Even in Sirsa city, a full canal-based supply system has not been implemented. Currently, water is supplied through 120 borewells, which also draw water from underground sources known to be contaminated. Selja criticised the government for ignoring repeated demands from villagers for safe canal water. She said, “When the government knows the groundwater is harmful, it must act quickly to restore and expand canal water supply across the affected areas.”
Haryana Tribune