The village Sarpanch, Mr Jaswant Singh Johal, denies that water used in the chhabeel was contaminated and led to the death of three persons on June 23 as reported in the media. All persons falling ill or dying were living in the proximity of a decaying pond in the village. Chhabeel water was consumed by the entire village of about 3,000 and even by outsiders. Moreover, the chhabeel was organised three days before the incident, Mr Johal said.Three deaths in one day and more than a 100 persons taken ill due to water-borne diseases in this village does not come as surprise. The village has no source of clean drinking water and the villagers have been drinking water from shallow hand pumps.The village pond is filthy, stinking and filled with waste-plastic where sewage emanating from toilets in the village accumulates. It has no outlet. Thus, the stagnating water in the pond is filthy, pointed out a village youth, Maninder Singh. Negligent villagers have bored shallow hand pumps located close to the pond for drinking water. The hand pumps spew grey coloured smelly water.