Toxic water destroys agricultural land

Illegal stone mining, dam breach contaminate canal, kill livestock and devastate hundreds of acres

SARGODHA:

Illegal activities in a stone crushing market near Pul Giara have caused serious environmental and agricultural damage after underground water was dangerously stored near a canal by constructing an unauthorised dam over several acres, residents said.

According to the locals, hill lease holders had excavated stone hundreds of feet deep and illegally accumulated groundwater behind the dam.

During Saturday night, the dam was deliberately breached, releasing toxic water into the canal, nearby settlements and agricultural fields. The sudden flow destroyed standing wheat and other crops over hundreds of acres and resulted in the death of livestock, while the adjoining canal was blocked due to silt and debris.

Area residents protested and called upon the commissioner and district police officer (DPO) of Sargodha to take action against those responsible.

They alleged that stone extraction on the hills are continuing with the connivance of the mines and minerals department and influential lease holders, posing risks to the residents.

They said their repeated complaints to the department and district administration had yielded no relief.

They added that similar incidents had occurred several times in the past, resulting in the destruction of crops, flooding of settlements and blockage of the canal due to soil deposition.

The residents warned that thousands of acres of fertile agricultural land was gradually turning barren due to the repeated release of toxic water.