Officials asked to act on contaminated water flowing into R'than

Jaipur, June 17 Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Thursday directed officials to collect detailed information and take action on the issue of contaminated water flowing in from the border areas of Punjab to Rajasthan.

Shekhawat said that a team of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will visit Punjab and submit a report in a week after recording the status quo, and Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) will prepare a plan to manage the waste water.

Shekhawat had in-depth discussions with Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Satish Poonia, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State Kailash Choudhary and MP Nihalchand in Delhi.

The state BJP leaders said that contaminated water coming from Punjab is reaching Rajasthan through canals, which is harmful for both public and wealth. This is definitely a serious problem, they said, adding that the aim is to find a permanent solution to the problem in public interest.

It needs to be informed here that 10 districts of Rajasthan namely Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Churu, Jhunjhunu and Sikar are being affected by the contaminated water coming from Punjab in the Indira Gandhi Canal Project.

Due to release of black contaminated poisonous water from Harike barrage, water in the Indira Gandhi Canal Project, Ganganagar and Bhakra-Nangal irrigation system of Rajasthan is getting polluted.

Recently, Poonia also wrote a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on the issue, saying that besides drinking water, even irrigating with such poisonous water is proving fatal. This water is supplied for drinking water to about two crore people of ten districts.