Date:23/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/23/stories/2007122353840500.htm

New Delhi

Contaminated water: notice to Punjab Govt.

CHANDIGARH: Taking suo motu notice of a newspaper report about the presence of high level of health-threatening metals and pesticide in drinking water supplied to some parts of Punjab, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice to the State government.

A Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Mahesh Aggarwal here issued the notice returanable on January 22 after treating a newspaper report as PIL.

The newspaper report had pointed out quoting a study of the Post Graduate Medical Institute here that people in 25 villages were being supplied water affected by industrial wastes and pesticides.

The drinking water in these villages had turned toxic due to a high concentration of heavy metals such as mercury. Earlier the Punjab Rights Commission had issued a notice to State Govt. - PTI