(a) whether the Government are aware that pollution in ground water has assumed serious proportion in many States;
(b) if so, the details and facts thereof, State-wise;
(c) whether the ground water reserves which are depleting contain arsenic, mercury and other harmful chemicals;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to check ground water pollution?
THE MINISTER OF WATER RESOURCES (SHRI ARJUN CHARAN SETHI)
(a) to (e) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED
QUESTION NO.180 FOR REPLY ON 03.03.2003 REGARDING POLLUTION IN GROUND WATER
The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), under the Ministry of Water
Resources monitors ground water quality throughout the country on regular
basis. The studies carried out by the CGWB indicate that the ground water
in major parts of the country is by and large potable. There are, however,
areas which have poor quality of ground water mainly due to the
contamination from industrial and domestic effluents, excessive use of
fertilizers, mining wastes, saline water ingress and due to the nature of
the ground water bearing rock formations. The names of States and
locations where ground water has been found contaminated and reasons
thereof are given in enclosed Annexure.
As per studies conducted by the CGWB in West Bengal, arsenic has been
found in shallow aquifers in eight districts of that State. Deeper
aquifers in these areas have, however, been found free from arsenic.
Water being a State subject, it is primarily the responsibility of
the State Governments to take steps to check ground water pollution.
However, the Union Government has also taken following measures to
mitigate the problem of ground water pollution:-
(i) The Central Government has set-up Central Ground Water Authority to
regulate and control ground water management and development.
(ii) Mass awareness and education programme have been launched on the
significance of water economy, efficient utilization, health, hygiene and
sanitation.
(iii) Central Pollution Control Board has adopted several measures
like directing the industries through State Pollution Control Boards to
limit the discharge of effluent within the stipulated standards,
initiation of scheme to give assistance to clusters of small scale
industrial units for setting up common effluent treatment plants and
taking up of quality scheme of monitoring in critically polluted areas.
(iv) The Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, under the Ministry
of Rural Development, has also been assisting and guiding the States in
the provision of safe drinking water to the rural population under the
Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) and exclusive Sub-
Mission project in areas having serious ground water quality problems
like Fluoride, Iron, Arsenic, Nitrate and Brackishness. In such quality
affected areas, where ground water is unfit for dinking, the safe
drinking water is supplied either through alternative sources, tapping
surface water or by other means by undertaking remedial measures like de-
fluoridation, iron removal and arsenic removal.
(REFERENCE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.180 DATED 03.03.2003 REGARDING POLLUTION IN GROUND WATER)
STATE-WISE DETAILS OF CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER IN SOME AREAS OF THE DISTRICTS DUE TO VARIOUS CONTAMINANTS
SL.NO. STATE SALINITY IRON FLUORIDE NITRATE ARSENIC HEAVY METALS
1. Andhra East Prakasam, Vishakhapatnam, Anantapur, Pra Godavari, Nellore, East Godavari, Mehboobnagar, West Anantapur, Krishna, Prakasam, Godavari, Nalgonda, Prakasam, Visakhapatnam, Krishna, Rangareddy, Nellore, Cuddapah, Guntur, Adilabad Chittoor, Nalgonda. Prakasam Anantapur, Cuddapah, Kurnool,Mehboob- nagar,Rangareddy, Medak,Adilabad, Nalgonda,Khammam.
2. Assam Northern Nagaon, Karbi Digboi Bank of Anglong Brahmaputra
3. Bihar Begusarai Champaran, Giridih,Jamui, Palamau, Gaya, Dhanbad, Muzaffar- Dhanbad Patna, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur, pur, Gaya, Nawada, Begusarai. Munger, Bhagalpur, Deoghar, Sahebgunj, Banka Madhubani, Patna, Palamau, Nalanda, Nawada,Banka
4. Gujarat Banaskantha, Kachch,Surendra Junagarh, nagar, Rajkot, Bharauch, Ahmedabad, Surat, Mehsana, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Ahmedabad, Sabarkantha. Surendranag ar, Kheda, Jamnagar
5. Haryana Sonepat, Rohtak,Jind, Ambala,Sonepat, Faridabad Rohtak, Hissar,Bhiwani, Jind, Gurgaon, Hissar, Mahendra-garh, Faridabad, Sirsa, Faridabad Hissar, Sirsa, Faridabad, Karnal, Jind, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Bhiwani, Mahendragarh Mahendragarh
6. Himach Kulu,Solan,Una Purwanoo, al Kalaamb Pradesh
7. Karnat Bijapur, Tumkur, Kolar, Bhadrawati aka Belgaum, Bangalore, Raichur, Gulbarga, Bellary, Bellary, Raichur Dharwar
8. Kerala Ernakulam, Palghat Trichur, Alleppey
9. Madhya Gwalior, Bhind, Moerana, Sehore Bastar, Korba, Pradesh Bhind, Guna, Jhabua, Ratlam, Nagda Morena, Chhindwara, Jhabua, Seoni, Mandla, Khargaon, Raipur, Vidisha Dhar, Shivpuri, Shajapur, Guna, Mandsor, Ujjain 10. Mahara Amaravati, Bhandara, Thane, Jalna, shtra Akola. Chandrapur, Beed, Nanded, Nanded, Latur, Osmanabad, Aurangabad Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Dhule, Jalgaon, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Pune, Buldana, Amravati, Akola, Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli
11. Orissa Cuttack, Parts of Bolangir Angul, Talcher Baleswar, Coastal Puri Orissa
12. Punjab Bhatinda, Ludhiana, Patiala, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Faridkot, Faridkot, Mandi, Faridkot, Bhatinda, Firozpur, Gobindgarh. Firozpur. Sangrur, Sangrur, Jalandhar, Bhatinda. Amritsar.
13. Rajast Bharatpur, Bikaner, Barmer, Bikaner, Jaipur, Churu, Pali, Udaipur, han Jaipur, Alwar, Ganganagar, Ganganagar, Khetri. Nagaur, Dungarpur Jalore, Nagaur, Bikaner, Jalore, Jalore, Pali, Sirohi. Barmer, Bundi, Sirohi, Swai Madhopur. Jodhpur
14. Tamil Karaikal, Dharampuri, Coimbatore, Manali, North Nadu Pondich- Salem, North Periyar, Salem. Arcot. erry, Arcot-Ambedkar, Nagapattana Villipuram- m, Quide- Padayatchi, Millet, Muthuramalingam, Pudukottai, Tiruchirapalli, Ramananthap Pudukottai. uram, North Arcot- Ambedkar, Dharampuri, Salem, Trichy, Coimbatore.
15. Tripura Dharamnagar Kauleshaher, Khowai, Ambasa, Amapur and Parts of Agartala Valley
16. Uttar Agra, Bulandshahar, Orai, Jhansi, Singrauli, Pradesh Mathura, Aligarh, Agra, Lalitpur, Basti, Kanpur, Mainpuri, Unnao, Rae- Faizabad, Jaunpur, Banmda. Bareli Sultanpur, Allahabad, Maharajganj, Saharanpur, Gorakhapur, Aligarh. Deoria
17. West Midnapore, Birbhum UttarDinajpur, Malda, Durgapur, Bengal Howrah, Malada,Birbhum, South- Howrah, Hooghli, Nadia,Midnapur, 24 Murshidabad, Bankura Howrah, Paraga Nadia. Murshidabad, nas, Purulia Nadia, Hoogly, Murshi dabad, Bardhaman, Howrah
18. NCT o Najafgarh, City Shahdara and Alipur, Delhi Kanjhawala, Mehrauli Blocks. Kanjhawala, and Najafgarh, Mehrauli Mehrauli City Blocks. and Shahdara Blocks.