Ghaggar River After Chhath Puja (image:x.com/Priya84413873)
New Delhi: Citing a Study, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav recently informed the Parliament that people dwelling near river drains are highly prone to cancer disease. While responding to questions raised by Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, regarding rising cancer cases in Haryana, and extent to which the polluted water of Ghaggar river entering Haryana is responsible in spreading cancer in the State, Minister gave the reply.
The number of incidences of cancer cases in Haryana increased from 1,486 in 2019 to 1,678 in 2023, Jadhav said referring the reports of Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMRNCRP).
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Minister then referred a study published in Indian Academy of Sciences on Human Health Risk Assessment which disclosed, “people dwelling near river drains are highly prone to cancer disease and hazard quotients were observed above the threshold limit that poses high non-carcinogenic risks. The results of the current study revealed that lead, iron, and aluminium exceeded the permissible limit of the Central Pollution Control Board (India).”
Minister further added that the Haryana State Pollution Control Board has found the water of Ghaggar River “not fit for drinking.”
Jadhav detailed the efforts taken to reduce pollution in Ghaggar. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National River Conservation Plan, sewage treatment capacity of 15 million litres per day (MLD) was created in different towns in Punjab for conservation of Ghaggar river, Minister has said. Punjab Pollution Control Board has informed that to treat waste water from the towns in the catchment of river Ghaggar, 28 STPs of total capacity 291.7 MLD have been installed. Haryana State Pollution Control Board has informed that sewage treatment capacity of 588 MLD has been created in river catchment in the State under the Ghaggar Action Plan, Minister added.
Selja also enquired whether the Central Government provides any special assistance to cancer patients from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the country. In response, Jadhav said that the treatment of cancer is either free or subsidised in the Government Institutions. Furthermore, he mentioned about Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund, and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
“Financial assistance is provided to poor patients for their cancer treatment under the Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund component of the Umbrella scheme of the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN). Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) aims at providing health insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. Since the inception of the scheme, treatment for cancer diseases is included in the benefit packages. All modes of treatment for cancer (Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Radiation Oncology) are covered under the scheme,” he added.
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In a statement released on Tuesday, after Minister’s response, Selja stressed the importance of addressing the issue. “The river’s water has become so polluted that it is neither fit for drinking nor bathing. Polluted water is contributing to cancer, with the number of cancer patients increasing every year,” she said.
“However, there are no adequate treatment facilities for these patients, forcing them to travel to Delhi, Chandigarh, or other states for treatment,” Selja added.
