Shamli, Uttar Pradesh (The Hawk): The contamination of the groundwater in a Shamli district village has reportedly caused the infection of more than 2,000 persons with Hepatitis C.
Since Kairana's effluent is directed towards a lake near the village of Maamour in the Shamli district, the inhabitants of this area have been slowly poisoned.
The contamination has also affected the groundwater, with the village of Maamour (population: 2,500) being the worst affected.
Villagers believe that approximately a dozen people have died as a result of this in the past year.
Last month, two brothers, Noor and Salman, died from Hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C, cancer, and skin-related disorders are all on the rise.
Villagers asserted that the groundwater in their community was poisoned to a depth of approximately 250 feet.
Farmer Rajiv Chauhan stated, "The lake in this area is spreading cancer and jaundice." About 500 individuals in the village are afflicted with jaundice, and the lake's size continues to grow. Already, more than a thousand bighas of farmland have been buried. The source of our drinking water is 3 kilometres away."
Approximately 2,100 Hepatitis C patients have surfaced in the past year, with the majority originating from the Kairana region, according to the health department.
District Magistrate (Shamli), Jasjit Kaur, stated, "Under the Namami Gange initiative, a water treatment facility is being developed at a cost of approximately Rs 38 crore to dispose of the contaminated water of Maamour lake. We are drafting an action plan for an ATM-based RO water plant to supply the villages with pure drinking water."