Uranium Contaminated Water For Drinking in Punjab
By Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd)
01 October, 2012
Countercurrents.org
Sir,
Please refer to the Hindustan Times news item datelined Sangrur, Punjab, September 29, 2012, titled “Uranium in water: situation grim in Sangrur, Barnala”. The horrific figures of uranium contamination in human body tissue was detected by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under the Department of Atomic Energy.
The District Health Officer claims that water contamination can be limited to 100 ppb by using reverse osmosis (RO) plants to produce “safe” drinking water, and the union government proposes to install more RO plants. Apart from criminal neglect by the state and union health authorities in allowing this matter to seriously endanger public health and safety, providing more RO plants to bring down the uranium level to 100 ppb when AERB's “safe limit” is 60 ppb can only be an inadequate ameliorative measure. Apart from the illegal benefits it will provide to government servants involved in preparation and execution of the contract for RO plants, it will also add to the demand for electric power, already in short supply.
There is hardly need to emphasize the callous scientific dishonesty of BARC in not publicly declaring the source of uranium contamination. The state government's failure to demand to know the source of uranium contamination is surely beyond merely callousness or ignorance. Without removing the source of radioactive contamination, all reactive measures especially where radioactive materials are concerned are a waste of public money. All the while, public safety and health are compromised. The scientific and social integrity of DAE, already under serious clouds at Koodankulam, is clearly at stake.
Yours faithfully,
Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd)
S.G.Vombatkere retired as major general after 35 years in the Indian military. He is engaged in voluntary social work, and is member of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). As Adjunct Associate Professor of the University of Iowa, USA, he coordinates and lectures a course on Science, Technology and Sustainable Development for under-graduate students from USA and Canada. He holds a master of engineering degree in structural engineering from the University of Poona and a PhD in civil structural dynamics from I.I.T, Madras. E-mail:[email protected]
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