21 Assam districts partly affected with arsenic in groundwater: Jal Shakti Minister
Representational Image: Arsenic found in water poses serious risk of cardiovascular diseases
New Delhi, Dec. 10: As many as 21 districts in Assam are partly affected with arsenic in groundwater, Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil informed the Parliament on Monday.
Stating that arsenic beyond the permissible limit has been reported in isolated pockets of 230 districts of 25 states, the minister said in the Rajya Sabha that Assam is the third state after Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where maximum districts are affected by arsenic in groundwater.
"Key technology initiatives have been taken for combating groundwater contamination in the country," the minister said.
Notably, 19 districts of Assam – Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Cachar, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Dhubri, Nalbari, Nagaon, Morigaon, Kamrup, Darrang, and Baksa – is recorded to have arsenic in water above 0.01 mg/l, according to Central Ground Water Board data.
Further, many districts in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal also have presence of arsenic above 0.01 mg/l.
According to the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, there are about 1,800 arsenic-affected rural habitations in India where 23.98 lakh people are at risk.
IMIS data indicates that there are 6 arsenic-affected States with regard to ground water sources. West Bengal with 1,218 has the maximum number of habitations having arsenic contaminated water followed by Assam (290), Bihar (66), Uttar Pradesh (39), Karnataka (9) and Punjab (178).
A Parliamentary Committee on Research-Based Education and Anusandhan Scenario in Sciences and Related Fields in a report also alerted the Government about the contamination of arsenic and fluoride and presence of other heavy metals in ground water in multiple States.
"This contamination is contributing to severe health issues such as cancer, skin diseases, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes among the inhabitants," said the committee chaired by BJP MP Vivek Thakur. It noted that research dedicated to eradicating arsenic, fluoride, and other heavy metals from ground water is urgently needed to address the issue.
The Committee has recommended that the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Health Research, and Department of Higher Education should prioritise and fund research initiatives aimed at eliminating arsenic, fluoride, and other heavy metals from ground water within the affected regions and States.
- A Correspondent