NEW DELHI, Feb 9 - At least 19 districts of Assam are arsenic-affected and six others are fluoride-affected.
The arsenic-hit districts include Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Cachar, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Dhubri, Nalbari, Nagaon, Morigaon, Kamrup, Darrang and Baksa.
While the fluoride-affected districts are Goalpara, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Golaghat and Karimganj, the iron-affected ones include Cachar, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karbi Anglong, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar and Sonitpur, Minister of State for Water Resources Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said in a Lok Sabha reply.
Most districts of Assam have been hit by groundwater contamination. Since the contamination of water with arsenic and fluoride has been a serious problem in the rural habitations, the Central Government has taken cognizance of this and decided to take both short-term and long-term measures, Balyan said.
