The News Review:

- Residents block traffic demanding water supply
- 88 per cent ground water samples showed alarming levels of mercury,…
- Water supply resumes

Residents block traffic demanding water supply
Hindu – Dec 24, 2007
Uniform supply They said that the panchayat administration was not providing adequate supply of water. Despite repeated complaints, the officials had not taken any steps to ensure uniform supply, the residents said. Traffic on the road was affected for more than an hour. Revenue and police officials rushed to the spot and pacified the agitators.

88 per cent ground water samples showed alarming levels of mercury,…
Outlook – Outlook (subscription) – Dec 24, 2007
I’ve lost count of the funerals of cancer victims I’ve attended in my area since the beginning of this year. It is an epidemic here. ” A train leaving from Bhatinda to Bikaner has been dubbed ‘cancer express’ as most patients from here go to Bikaner’s cancer hospital for treatment. Even a child in these parts knows what chemotherapy is about. “Our neighbour used to take hot injections before she died last year,” says little Kiranjot at Chandbaja village in Faridkot district. “Many others in our village have taken them…
Kundal, Punjab’s secretary for water supply and sanitation, “Ideally, there should be an umbrella task force to deal with the problem in its entirety,” he says. “Presently, different agencies are conducting overlapping studies which will take us nowhere. I am heading a task force to study arsenic in water, while the state planning board is looking into drinking water and allied issues. Although 90 per cent of the underground water is used for irrigation and just 10 per cent for drinking water, we realise that this 10 per cent is crucial for the health of our people. “With the government unsure of what to do, Manpreet Badal has installed four distribution points supplying Reverse Osmosis water in his constituency.

Water supply resumes
Fiji Times – Dec 24, 2007
The burst caused levels to drop at the Tamavua Treatment Plant. Residents living in Namadi Heights, Delainavesi and Lami were advised to store water for consumption because the water levels at Tamavua remained low. Yesterday residents confirmed they were receiving water but pressure in the taps remained low. Technicians working on the burst were able to remedy the situation.