Waterlogged Channu awaits relief from govt

Waterlogged Channu awaits relief from govt
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 5
Channu, a village situated in Lambi, the home constituency of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Muktsar district, is one of the worst water-logged villages of the state with 2000 acres land of 192 owners affected by the problem. It is not the end of misery of the residents there as the village has 12 patients of cancer while seven are suffering from tuberculosis (TB). During the past two-and-a-half years, around 10 persons have died due to cancer.
According to a recent survey conducted by Mohammad Tayyab, IAS, assistant commissioner (UT), the ground water level is just two to five feet in the seepage affected area. The reason for high rate of cancer and TB could be water pollution, as toxic salts are present in the seepage.
The report reveals many shocking details about the village as more than 50 per cent of the total population of the village is landless farm labourers and almost half of the village land is affected with seepage/water logging.
The underground water level is rising and shifting towards south west, causing the submergence of land that is generally called waterlogging or ‘Sem’. The ‘Sem’ contains toxic alkaline salts called ‘Shora’ (fluoride), which makes it unfit for drinking, household use, fishery and irrigation.
As per the details available, the village was infested with the problem in 1997-98. Earlier, the depth of water was about 40-60 feet. Now, about 2,000 acres of land is infested with the ‘Sem’, including 400 acre of totally submerged land. Since 1997-98, the watertable is rising at the rate of 2-3 feet a year.
In this village, many cases of skin diseases (dermatitis, skin allergy, scabies), common cold, tuberculosis and cancer have been reported.
It is shocking that in such a disease-prone village, there is only one MBBS doctor, who provides health services and that too on contract basis under the state government scheme.
The report reveals that cancer is one of the major threat to the villagers. The village doctor refers cancer cases to the PHC at Lambi while some go to Bikaner in Rajasthan for treatment.
The report also shows Sem as the major cause of poverty in the village. It was also placed in front of the chairman of the 13th Finance Commission, Vijay Kelker, who had visited the village on December 5. But the whole village is still waiting for a positive action from the government.