NEW DELHI: Groundwater quality varies considerably in India: certain states and UTs such as Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya and J&K are in full compliance with BIS standards, while states such as Rajasthan, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh face widespread contamination. , shows a report recently published by ‘Jal Shakti Ministry.
A notable concern in the report, based on quality data at 15,259 groundwater monitoring sites and a focused assessment at 4,982 trend stations across the country in 2023, is “elevated uranium levels in several regions.” Rajasthan and Punjab emerge as regional hotspots of uranium contamination.
Samples with high concentrations of uranium were clustered in areas identified as “overexploited”, “critical” and “semi-critical” groundwater stress zones, such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The report also reflects significant water quality concerns due to high concentrations of nitrate, fluoride, arsenic and iron in groundwater. Nearly 20% of the samples exceeded the permissible limit for nitrate, while 9% of the samples had fluoride levels above the acceptable limit. Arsenic contamination was found in 3.5% of the samples.
“This is particularly concerning because long-term exposure to both contaminants (fluoride and arsenic) can have serious health consequences, including fluorosis (from fluoride) and cancer or skin lesions (from arsenic),” the report says. .
Fluoride concentration exceeding the permissible limit is a major concern in Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “Although the monsoon season brought about some improvement in fluoride levels in these states, overall pollution levels remain alarmingly high,” the report says.
Rajasthan, Tennessee and Maharashtra have some of the highest incidences of nitrate pollutionwith more than 40% of the water samples exceeding the allowed limit. The report attributed it mainly to agricultural runoff and excessive use of fertilizers.