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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Beware, toxins in your plate by Gurdeep Singh Mann

Beware, toxins in your plate by Gurdeep Singh Mann

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published Published on May 25, 2010   modified Modified on May 25, 2010


So you think the ‘fresh-from-villages’ fruits and vegetables are actually safe and healthy to eat? However, there is more to what meets the eye. With groundwater having receded as much as 300 feet, farmers in the area have resorted to growing vegetables and seasonal crops using sewerage water laced with industrial pollutants.

The primary source of surface water is a 150-km long rivulet that flows from Mohali to Ratia in Haryana before emptying into the Ghaggar. “Most of the farmers here use the rivulet’s water that is laced with intoxicants to irrigate their fields,” said Manohar, former sarpanch of Kalouli village in Banur.

He said continuous discharge of sewerage and industrial waste into the seasonal rivulet, which originates from Chandigarh, provides ample water for irrigation round the clock.

“The rivulet has enabled irrigation in large areas. Instead of using deep submersible pumps to draw underground water, we simply use a tractor or engine to pump out water that is released in fields through several kilometre-long pipes,” said Sulakhan, a farmer in Banur.

He said farmers resorted to using sewerage water in view of power cuts and lack of groundwater.

Some agriculture experts say sewerage water, without heavy metals and toxic waste of industrial units, is good for soil productivity. However, farmers should not use this water to grow vegetables as it may also be laced with toxic waste released by industrial units.

Besides seasonal crops, farmers also grow vegetables and fruits over more than 200 acres. Vegetables like cauliflower, ladyfinger, potatoes and chilly, are being grown using this water.

“Despite repeated requests to shun this practice, farmers continue to do so,” said Agriculture Development Officer in Banur, Amaninder Singh Mann. He said gallons of such water were used for agriculture purposes everyday and advised that farmers must adopt some mechanism to get the water treated or tested before using it.

“Farmers feel that waste water from nullahs is a valuable source as it reduces cost of farming to a great extent. Besides this water is available round the clock”, said Chief Agriculture Officer, Patiala, Subhash Chander Khurana.

He added that farmers are always advised not to use sewage water without getting it tested from labs but they keep on using it to increase crop yield and to reduce fertilisers’ expenses. Continuous use of such water could lead to soil sickness, groundwater contamination as well as health hazards for the consumers.

Chief Agriculture Officer, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sarabjit Kandhari, added that continuous intake of untreated sewerage-irrigated vegetables may give rise to various ailments, including cancer. He said leafy vegetables, including cabbage and spinach, grow well in sewerage water but possibility of germ infestation increases in such untreated water.

Senior Environment Engineer of Punjab Pollution Control Board Karunesh Garg said fresh instructions have been passed to factories situated beside the rivulet to reduce their level of discharge.


The Tribune, 23 May, 2010, http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100524/punjab.htm#5


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