Contaminated water devastates health near Indian capital

Highly toxic untreated effluents released from industries and used as irrigation water are spelling a slow death for 18,000-odd residents of Daurala village-cum-industrial estate not far from Delhi. The local men are no longer preferred for employment by the industrialists as they are "not as healthy" as outsiders to undertake strenuous jobs.

According to a study, "Daurala: Hell on Earth", conducted by Janhit Foundation with technical assistance from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, the levels of dangerous elements in drinking water, agriculture soil and sludge of the area are high enough to put Daurala among the top 50 most polluted habitations in the country.

Alarmed by the findings of the study the Foundation director, Anil Rana has approached the Supreme Court appointed High Powered Committee on Hazardous Wastes to save the lives of the innocent and unsuspecting people. The Committee is expected to visit Daurala next month.

Mr. Rana has also urged the Centre to immediately launch an intensive medical drive to save the population and ask the erring industries to stop functioning till they install effluent treatment plants.

A government intervention becomes all the more urgent as the local authorities including the Pollution Control Board, politicians and the industrialists themselves have not shown any signs of action despite repeated demonstrations by the locals.

A door-to-door survey by the Foundation volunteers has revealed that of the 192 persons dying over the past five years, 54 died due to thyroid cancer, 33 died of heart diseases and 42 lost their lives due to gastro intestinal disorders. Many more are suffering from serious ailments with little or no funds to seek medical attention. "The reason for these ailments is supposed to be the presence of alarming levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, aluminium and lethal compounds like cyanide in the drinking water, waste water, agriculture soil and sludge samples tested at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee," said Mr. Rana.

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