Delhi farmers using toxic sewage water to grow vegetables; here's why
Farmers in Qutubgarh in north-west Delhi say they know the harmful effects of growing vegetables with drain water, but they don't have any choice as water level has declined and the cost of fertiliser went up.
Key Highlights
- Farmers use drain water to grow vegetables in north-west Delhi
- Industries at Haryana discharge effluents into Mungeshpur drain
New Delhi: Today, nobody can claim that their food is free of adulteration. But what would you do when you see your vegetables being watered by contaminated water? In a very alarming development, farmers in north-west Delhi have been found using sewage water from a drain in Mungeshpur.
Mungeshpur drain is part of Najafgarh basin and is the longest dam in north-west Delhi. The farmers in Qutubgarh are using the drain water discharged by industrial units in the area causing health-related concerns. But why are farmers resorting to such a dangerous practice and playing with the people's health at a mass scale?
Decline in ground water table
The drain that passes through Mungeshpur and Qutubgarh villages has its colour blood-red and parts of it are full of froth. According to a report, farmers say the 'toxic' water acts as fertiliser for their vegetable crops. The farmers also said that it saves them money that is used on buying fertiliser and urea.
Another reason farmers give to use contaminated water is the drastic decline in groundwater level. However, the use of effluent mixed water from the drain comes at a steep cost.
The cases of cancer have gone up in the village at least seven times in the last 10 years. A villager from Qutubgarh, said they know that the vegetables they are growing with contaminated water are injurious to health, but they have no other option.
'Drain water acts as fertiliser'
The farmers started using drain water sporadically in 2008, but later solely relied on it as the water level went down. Further, the villagers started using toxic water after the cost of fertilisers and pesticides went up over the years.
Farmers in the village say that the cost of installing a tubewell is too high and that cost around Rs 80,000. The increasing prices of manure and fertilisers also add up to further costs, making it difficult to grow good crops. Farmers claim everybody knows that the water is harmful but they can't do anything.
The Qutubgarh village bears the brunt of the polluting industrial units which discharge their effluents in the drain. The village lies next to the Haryana border, where many polluting industries are located.
A number of industries were sealed after National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2015, but many of them resumed operations later. The Mungeshpur drain eventually joins Najafgarh drain before merging into the Yamuna.