Sirsa, July 15
The General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, Sirsa MP and Former Union Minister, Kumari Selja expressed serious concern over recurring complaints of contaminated drinking water in Sirsa, saying the issue posed a direct threat to public health and required immediate government intervention.
Selja said reports of sewage-mixed water reaching households and a large number of failed water quality samples reflected not merely administrative negligence but a serious public health concern. Citing the Public Health Department, she said 295 bacteriological water samples had failed across Sirsa district, including 183 from Sirsa city, while more than 170 complaints related to contaminated water and supply had been reported in the past week. She warned that unsafe drinking water could lead to diseases such as typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea and other water-borne infections, particularly affecting children, senior citizens and people with weak immunity.
Selja recalled that during the Congress government in 2014, a ₹200-crore RO-based drinking water project was launched to provide clean and safe drinking water to the city. She noted that Sirsa also had existing water infrastructure, including the Chittorgarh Patti Water Works, HUDA Sector-19 Water Works, Mini Secretariat Water Works and Chaudhary Devi Lal University Water Works. Despite these facilities, she questioned why residents continued to receive contaminated water and why the RO project had not been utilised to its full potential.
Selja urged the government to replace 40-60-year-old deteriorating pipelines, conduct a comprehensive technical audit of the city’s water supply system, independently review the functioning of the RO project, regularly publish water quality reports and arrange alternative safe drinking water until the problem is fully resolved. Selja said Access to clean drinking water is a basic right. The government must prioritise public health over political claims and explain why the full benefits of the RO project have still not reached the people of Sirsa.