FIVE-YEAR-OLD Gurnoor Singh suffers from an uncommon problem. Bits of his milk teeth keep breaking off randomly. Gurnoor's father Sukhvinder Singh, a farmer from Ghaunspur village in Ludhiana district, Punjab, says many children in the village have the same condition.
Over 200 km southwest of Ludhiana, in Burj Mohar village of Fazilka district, lives nine-year-old Hargun Kaur. She, too, suffers from an obscure tooth ailment. Her permanent teeth have begun to emerge without the milk teeth having fallen off. Her grandfather Kuldeep Singh, who takes care of Hargun since her father has cognitive and speech impairment, says that dentists attribute such problems to long-term consumption of water laden with contaminants, such as heavy metals and fluorides.
What possibly connects Gurnoor and Hargun, apart from their tooth ailments, is the contamination source of the waters they consume-Buddha Nullah, a 40-km seasonal tributary of the Sutlej river (see 'Contamination route', p17). It originates in Ludhiana, passes through the breadth of the district as well as along Ghaunspur, and merges with the Sutlej in the same district. In its course, it becomes a receptacle of Ludhiana's substantial industrial discharge (the district is Punjab's foremost industrial hub, with some 2,000 electroplating and dyeing units) through drains and sewer networks that empty into it.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 01, 2023-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 01, 2023-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
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Vision 2030
Economic growth must take into account needs of energy transition, climate mitigation, with action aligned as per India's 2030 climate goals
FIX OUR FOOD
Chemical-dependent farming, lax labelling laws, rising anti-microbial resistance must top the agenda
BATTLE THE CAR BULGE
Clean, affordable, integrated and accessible public transport the only solution
CONSERVE NOW
Disregard for biodiversity conservation over the past two decades needs immediate redressal
SCRAP THE DUMP
Disincentivise garbage dumping, invest in behavioural change
PLAN THEM COOL
As urban India turns into a heat trap, the government must focus on improving cities' liveability
THINK LONG-TERM
India needs continued emphasis on flagship programmes, aligned to long-term planning that focusses on water security and circular economy in a climate-risked era
OVERHAUL OVERDUE
Hold polluting industries accountable for public health risks, environmental hazards, climate change; provide them support for green transition
LOOK BEYOND DUST
Reinvent National Clean Air Programme to focus on fine particulate matter and trans-boundary pollution
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Clean energy sectors need demand-driven markets and domestic industries that can cater to the entire value chain