Underground water in 13 districts contaminated with arsenic
Alarming levels of arsenic have been found in underground water sources of 13 districts in Uttar Pradesh, rendering them unsafe for drinking.
By PTI |
LUCKNOW: Alarming levels of arsenic have been found in underground water sources of 13 districts in Uttar Pradesh, rendering them unsafe for drinking.
A study was conducted to check arsenic contamination with the help of UNICEF in 322 blocks under 51 districts of the state falling in the basin of major rivers Ganga, Ghaghra and Gomti.
Underground water in Ballia, Basti, Lakhmipur-Kheri, Baharaich, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Unnao, Bareilly, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Moradabad and Sant Kabir Nagar were found to have arsenic level much above the normal range of 0.05 mg per litre, sources in the Rural Development department said here.
And in seven other districts of Raebareli, Mirzapur, Bijnore, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Shahajahanpur, Meerut and Gonda, some of the underground water sources were found to be affected by high arsenic level, they added.
The high level of arsenic was attributed to 'geological changes'.
Alarmed over the contamination, the state government has set up a task force comprising experts to suggest ways to overcome the problem, the sources said.
Scientists drawn from the Industrial Toxicology Research Institute (ITRC), state Jal Nigam, Central Underground Water Board, IIT, Kanpur and Lucknow Medical College have been included in the task force, they said.
A study was conducted to check arsenic contamination with the help of UNICEF in 322 blocks under 51 districts of the state falling in the basin of major rivers Ganga, Ghaghra and Gomti.
Underground water in Ballia, Basti, Lakhmipur-Kheri, Baharaich, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Unnao, Bareilly, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Moradabad and Sant Kabir Nagar were found to have arsenic level much above the normal range of 0.05 mg per litre, sources in the Rural Development department said here.
And in seven other districts of Raebareli, Mirzapur, Bijnore, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Shahajahanpur, Meerut and Gonda, some of the underground water sources were found to be affected by high arsenic level, they added.
The high level of arsenic was attributed to 'geological changes'.
Alarmed over the contamination, the state government has set up a task force comprising experts to suggest ways to overcome the problem, the sources said.
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Scientists drawn from the Industrial Toxicology Research Institute (ITRC), state Jal Nigam, Central Underground Water Board, IIT, Kanpur and Lucknow Medical College have been included in the task force, they said.
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