9 villages in Fatehgarh Sahib have nitrate in water: Report

The team conducted a demographic census of over 1800 households in the nine villages to identify community needs. It was found that sources of water like submersible pumps and tubewells had high quantities of nitrates making the water unfit for drinking. The villagers were asked to stop using water from these sources.

Prof H S Meije,founder trustee of the trust,says,“Nitrates have damaged the soil and they are being found in water drawn through submersible pumps. The cropping pattern is to an extent responsible for this. In the past one and a half year that the programme has been initiated,the quality of life of people in the villages is changing and these would become models for the surrounding villages.”

People from the villages have been trained as volunteers and they in turn are educating the villagers. Dr Ravindra Khaiwal,Assistant Professor from the School of Public Health,PGI,says that the villagers have been told which wells to draw water from and which to shut down due to the presence of nitrate. The causes for the presence of nitrate are being looked into. It could be due to use of fertilizers,excessive use of water,etc.

Dr Steve Alder,the chief of the pubic health division of the University of Utah says that there has been a transition witnessed among the people of the area. He said that now,the people look within their community for solutions to their problems which would make the change sustainable.

The programme also aims to remove gender disparity in the villages by taking initiatives to promote the girls. The team from the University of Utah also met the PGI Director to explore the possibility of further expanding the collaboration with MBCT and the PGI School of Public Health.