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Ecology & Environment
Pradeep Kumar

23/03/21 12:00 PM IST

Contamination of Ground Water

In news

Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data on a regional scale through ground water quality monitoring throughout the country

Role of government
  • Water being State subject, initiatives on water management including taking corrective action related to ground water quality in the country is primarily States’ responsibility.
  • However, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with State Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees (SPCBs/PCCs) is implementing the provisions of The Water (Prevention & Control) Act, 1974 & The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to prevent and control pollution.
  • Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide potable tap water supply to every rural household in the country, by 2024.
  • Under JJM, while planning water supply schemes to provide tap water supply to rural households, priority is given to quality–affected habitations which, inter alia, includes habitations affected with Arsenic and Fluoride contamination.
  • Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) launched on 25th June, 2015 in selected 500 cities with focus on development of urban infrastructure
  • CGWB has constructed several exploratory and observation wells in the Country tapping the Arsenic safe deeper aquifer zones delineated through exploration aided detailed aquifer mapping under National Aquifer Mapping programme.
Impacts of Groundwater Contamination with Fluoride and Arsenic
  • In India, high Fluoride concentrations in groundwater (greater than 1 mg/l – milligrams per litre) are widespread in the arid to semi-arid western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat and in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
  • Arsenic in groundwater is emerging as a widespread problem in the floodplains of the GangesMeghna-Brahmaputra (GMB).
  • In India, many areas from West Bengal have been shown to be affected whereas Bihar is an emerging area with high Arsenic contamination.
  • Fluorosis is a crippling disorder due to entry of Fluoride in the body, which affects every organ,tissue, cells in the body, and results in health complaints having overlapping manifestations with several other diseases like gouts and osteoporosis.
Source: PIB

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