Raghbir Singh Brar
Faridkot
October 5,2025
Jal Jivan Bachao Morcha(JJBM) on Sunday expressed it serious concern on the finding of the sub soil drinking water reports of Faridkot in which Uranium and Magnesium have been found much above the permissible limits in drinking water.
The water supply and sanitation department Faridkot had allegedly taken five samples from the water from the equal number of hand pumps from the district in June.
The testing report allegedly by the Regional Advance Water Testing laboratory SAS Nagar are stunning,particularly about the much higher contamination by Uranium.
The permissible limit of Uranium in drinking water is only 30 microgram per litre while in Faridkot, it has been tested to be 31.92,112.25,69.17,38.92 respectively in the four reports.
In two sample,Magnesium was found in higher quantity,0.816 and 0.500 againt the permissible limit of it of 0.1mg/l.
“Earlier,we did not have the report of the government laboratory at hand.Much earlier,some people from Faridkot had raised the issue by having some test having done outside India by private labs,but now it has been estalished that very harmful metals like Uranium and Magnesium are present in our drinking water,”said Shankar sharma,convener of JJBM Faridkot.
The Morcha alleged that the presence of such kind of very harmful metals in some water samples raises a serious concern.If this is found in a few samples taken,it may be generalised that many such hand pumps pump out the chemical laced water.We demand that more samples be taken,have to be tested and a big water purification plant be installed in the town.All the areas of the town still rely on the hand pumps water as they donot get regular supply of drinking water by the department. Even when the canal water is closed for long in the summer,most of the town is left to cater to its needs by hand pumps and tubewells,”alleged the members of the Jal Jivan Bachao Morcha which held a meeting outside the office of Divisional Commissioner Faridkot.
They alleged that the higher content of the Uranium and some other metals could be behind cancer and many other fatal diseases in the district.
“Earlier we used to get water from Raja minor,Then it was encroached upon blocking it’s water.It was again rejuvenated during SAD_BJP regime.But still there are problems with it.Then the department dug up some tubewells along the Sirhind canal, but they cater to the needs of outside the periphery of the town.Actually,the department has dug up some tubewells at its premises to cater to our needs which allegedly pump out not very good water as it has been estalished by reports that most of ground water. has some impurifications.If the department source out water from the canal,it costs the department something. So we want two more water works for the town to cater to its needs.Pure drinking water is our right and we shall have it though we have to protest for it how long it may take us,”said Shankar sharma,speaking to the Punjab Express.com.
