Arsenic water contamination – the silent killer
In the latest government study, arsenic contamination in groundwater has been reported in almost a third of all districts in India, but the bigger concern is it easily spreads through foodgrains
Unlike previously thought, arsenic contamination is a pan-India danger
According to the latest study (2021) by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), high arsenic contamination in water (beyond the limits permitted by the BIS) has been reported in 221 districts in 25 states/UTs.
Arsenic is naturally present at high levels in groundwater, and is considered highly toxic in its inorganic form. Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions. It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In utero and early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults, besides negative impact on pregnancies, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Safe water supply is the best way to reduce the impact of such water contamination.
The Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Bishweswar Tudu informed the Parliament this week that water is a state subject and providing potable drinking water is primarily states’ responsibility. However, the central government is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, since August 2019, in partnership with states, to make provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household by 2024.
| S. No. | State/UT | Arsenic (above 0.01 mg/l) |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | Ananthpur, East Godawari, Krishna, Prakasham, Guntur, Kurnool,Nellore |
| 2 | Telangana | Nalgonda |
| 3 | Assam | Baksha, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivsagar, Sonitpur, Biswanth |
| 4 | Bihar | Araria, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Darbhanga, Katihar, Khagaria, Kishanganj, Lakhisarai, Munger, Patna, Purnea, Samastipur, Saran, Vaishali, E.Champaran, Gopalganj, Sheohar, Supaul, Madhepura,Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Siwan, W Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | Rajnandgon, Raipur, Raigarh, Koriya, |
| 6 | Delhi | East Delhi, North East Delhi, South east Delhi, |
| 7 | Gujarat | Amreli, Anand, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Dahod, Gandhinagar, Kachchh, Mehesana, Patan, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Vadodara |
| 8 | Haryana | Ambala, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Fatehabad, Hissar, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonepat, Yamunanagar, Mahendergarh, Palwal, Panchkula, Rewari |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | Kangra |
| 10 | Jammu & Kashmir | Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri |
| 11 | Jharkhand | Sahebganj, Lohardaga, Godda, Dhanbad |
| 12 | Karnataka | Raichur, Gadag and Yadgir district |
| 13 | Kerala | Kollam |
| 14 | Madhya Pradesh | Betul,Burhanpur, Chhindwara, Dhar, Khandwa, Mandsaur, Morena Neemuch, Umaria |
| 15 | Manipur | Bishnupur, Thoubal |
| 16 | Odisha | Gajapati, Ganjam, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsingh Pur, |
| 17 | Punjab | Mansa, Amritsar, Bhatinda, Fazilka, Ferozpur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Ropar, Faridkot, Nawashahar, Sangrur, TaranTaran, SAS Nagar, Pathan kot, Patiala, Chandigarh |
| 18 | Rajasthan | Ganganagar, Pali, Bikaner, Banswara, Bhilwara, Churu, Hanumangarh, Jodhpur, Sirohi, Tonk |
| 19 | Tamil Nadu | Ariyalur,Perambalur,Dindigul, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam,Ramnathapuram,Tiruvallur, Tirunelveli, Thiruvarur, Trichchirappalli, Tuticorin, Sivaganga, Chennai, Dharmapuri |
| 20 | Tripura | North Tripura, Gomati and South Tripura |
| 21 | Uttar Pradesh | Bahraich, Balia, Balrampur,Bareilly, Basti, Bijnor, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Gonda, Gorakhpur, LakhimpurKheri, Meerut, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Rai Bareilly, SantKabir Nagar, Shajahanpur, Siddarthnagar, SantRavidas Nagar, Unnao, Azamgarh, Rampur, Badaun, Deoria, Jhansi, Kausambi, Kushinagar, Pilibhit, Banda, Sitapur, Hardoi, Muzaffarnagar, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Pratapgarh, Maunath Bhanjan, Barabanki, Maharajgang, JP Nagar |
| 22 | Uttarakhand | Dehradun,Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Almora, Uttarkashi |
| 23 | West Bengal | Purba Bardhaman, Dakshin Dinajpur, Hooghly, Howrah, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, N-24 Parganas, S- 24 Parganas, Coochbehar, Uttar Dinajpur |
| 24 | Daman & Diu | Diu |
| 25 | Puducherry | Pondicherry |
| Total | Parts of 221 districts in 25 States & UTs |
“Under JJM, while planning for potable water supply to household through tap water connection, priority is given to quality-affected habitations,” said Tudu.
“As an interim measure, states/UTs have been advised to install community water purification plants (CWPPs) especially in arsenic and fluoride affected habitations to provide potable water to every household at the rate of 8–10 litre per capita per day (lpcd) to meet their drinking and cooking requirements,” Tudu added.
However, bigger questions remain. Are there any long-term solutions? What about the health impact due to contamination of foodgrains, also due to which exports of rice, wheat, etc, are adversely affected?
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