Groundwater Contamination

The groundwater in most parts of Delhi is brackish in nature and the nitrate concentration is high in the northeastern parts of the capital, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has said in a report. "Chemical analysis of ground water samples collected in May 2021 showed that nitrate content in groundwater is within the permissible limit of 45 micrograms per litre in most of the state. However, concentration in the north-eastern parts of Delhi is high," the CGWB's groundwater year book 2021-22 said. Except a few locations in the northern and western parts of the city, all areas have a fluoride concentration within the permissible limit of 1.5 micrograms per litre, it said. The eastern parts of Delhi, especially the areas around the Yamuna floodplains and the Delhi Quartzite Ridge zones, have an electrical conductivity (EC) within the permissible range of 0 to 2,250 microsiemens per centimetre, the CGWB said. "The rest of the capital, barring some pockets of southwest, northwest an

High arsenic concentration has been found in groundwater in 18 districts of Bihar, as well as its correlation with incidences of gallbladder cancer at these places, according to a new study, a senior official said. People in these districts are drinking water with arsenic concentration greater than the World Health Organisation's permissible limit of 10 microgram per litre, he said. The study by experts has found that out of the 38 districts, 18 have high arsenic contamination in groundwater. The worst-affected districts are Buxar, Bhojpur and Bhagalpur. The highest arsenic contamination (1906 ug/L) in groundwater is in Buxar, Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Chairman of the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), told PTI. Now, arsenic as a possible risk factor for gallbladder cancer has been found in the study. Public health intervention in the form of removing arsenic from drinking water is the need of the hour in the endemic regions of Bihar and Assam. Tackling arsenic pollution may help

The high concentration of uranium in groundwater in certain districts in Bihar has left the authorities worried

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta had urged the Union jal shakti minister to order a test of the quality of water being supplied in the national capital, alleging that people consuming it were falling sick

The consumption of contaminated water causes skin, liver, kidney and other water-borne diseases.

Scientists have found an increased probability of high arsenic levels in well waters in parts of India where previously arsenic hazard was generally not considered to be a major concern

Unlike the limits for arsenic and other toxic metals specified in the Indian standards for drinking water, there is no limit maintained for uranium