Amargarh (Sangrur), October 13
Fear stalks Amargarh residents with more and more residents succumbing to cancer. Most suspect that the water in the area is to blame for the calamity and have installed reverse osmosis pumps in their homes.
Lakhveer Singh, who lost his father Harmail Singh in 2002 and two years later his mother Gurcharan Kaur to intestinal cancer, said it was time the government should step in to address the problem.
“I spent more than Rs 15 lakh on my parent’s treatment. But what about the poor afflicted by this disease ? The government must do something about the polluted water in our area”.
He said he lived in constant fear of losing his daughter and son.
There are at least 40 families in this non-descript village to have lost their dear ones to cancer.
Varinder Mohan, a sweet shop owner, who lost his father to lymph node cancer about 45 days ago, said: “I cannot bring my father back, but I would want you to highlight our plight so that we do not see more dying of cancer.”
Dr Harjeet Kumar who runs a clinic in Amargarh’s main market, said: “There have been 40 deaths in Amargarh town alone during the recent years.
And at least 40 are suffering from intestinal, uterus, lymph node, oesophagus or breast cancer.The patients belong to all age groups.”
Dr Sunil Prakash, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), Amargarh, said not many cancer cases were reported at the local Community Health Centre with most residents preferring to take the patients to super speciality hospitals in cities.
He said there was no problem with the water in Amargarh as was evident from the water samples tested regularly for mineral components.
Contesting the SMO’s claim, a local employee of the water supply and sanitation department said water samples tested for pollution about six months ago had been found carrying high concentration of heavy minerals.
Conflicting claims
There is no problem with the water in Amargarh as is evident from the water samples tested regularly— Dr Sunil Prakash, SMO
Water samples tested for pollution six months ago were found carrying high concentration of heavy minerals
— Sanitation dept employee
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