Lakhs of villagers living alongside Ghaggar accuse politicians of failing to curtail floods, pollution Each time any election approaches, lakhs of villagers living alongside the Ghaggar in Patiala are promised an end to their woes arising out of the river. Apart from almost-yearly floods, the river has of late been blamed for carrying effluents, thus becoming a source of cancer. Almost every village near the Ghaggar has reported cancer deaths in recent years. But the politicians, it seems, have turned a blind eye to the sufferings of the residents. Says Darshan Singh, a villager, “During rains, we have to live in a constant fear of floods.” Darshan rues the scourge of cancer is the latest predicament to hit them. “More than 100 deaths have occurred in our area in the last few years. The pollution in the river has risen manifold but we have little option but to use its water for drinking and irrigation.” The problem of floods dates back several decades. In the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, the then SAD candidate, Prem Singh Chandumajra, had banked on the plank: “Tussi Congress chuk deo, te main Ghaggar chuk dun (you vote out the Congress and I will address the Ghaggar issue).” The slogan clicked and Chandumajra won, but the problem remained unresolved. The problem To check devastation in its own area, Haryana constructed a 4-km toe wall at the point from where the Ghaggar flows into the state. Punjab failed to take any timely action and the matter is now sub-judice in the Supreme Court. The toe wall ensured that most of the flood water is diverted to Punjab. The villagers living alongside the Ghaggar have also reported high incidence of cancer in recent years, blamming the polluted water for the menace, which is used for drinking and irrigation.