People are falling sick due to contaminated water in a village near Lahore

LAHORE: The residents of Kot Asadullah, a village near the provincial capital of Punjab are falling sick due to contaminated water. Residents of the village have complained of bone and joint pains after consuming the water.

While walking through the village, one can see residents shivering and complaining of pain. Some are even more severely ill and unable to move.

“The government needs to pay special attention and resolve this issue on an urgent basis,” said a resident.

According to the residents, the water for their village is being polluted due to the release of chemicals by local factories. A water plant installed in 2000 remains non-operational and residents are seen waiting in long lines at a filtration plant set-up by a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

“The land absorbs the chemicals from nearby factories which is why people are falling sick,” a resident complained to Geo News.

Naeem-ur-Rehman a spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told Geo News that a similar problem arose 20 years ago when the fluoride level increased in the water.

“There are 12 districts of Punjab where there are high levels of fluoride,” Rehman said.

The residents of the village have called on the government to take action and provide clean drinking water so their loved ones can avoid developing medical conditions which can last a lifetime.