Arsenic contamination is one of the biggest issue Indian people are facing in drinking water. Central Groundwater Board published a report which states that 21 states in our country are facing this issue and have arsenic levels higher than normal.
The first case of contamination of Arsenic in groundwater was observed in 1983 in West Bengal. After that several other states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh of Ganga River basin, and Assam and Manipur of Brahmaputra basin have also registered the case of arsenic pollution in their groundwater.
Arsenic Contamination: A major issue on the groundwater of the Indian peninsula
The situation is getting worse with every passing day according to a survey by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, which implies that about 9.6 m people in West Bengal, 1.6 m in Assam, 1.2 m in Bihar, 0.5 m in Uttar Pradesh, and 0.012m in Jharkhand are at the risk of danger. World Health Organization has given the guideline that the permissible limit of arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion while the Indian government recorded it to be 50ppb which is five times higher, hand pumps of Buxar (a district in Bihar) found to have the highest arsenic contamination of 1500 parts per billion.
However, the main highlight of this whole propaganda is to let you all know that the contamination of groundwater has entered the food chain. The reason behind the penetration of arsenic in our food is that farmers use the contaminated water for irrigation purposes and coincidentally Ganga and Brahmaputra plains are the ideal surface for agriculture of various fields and horticultural crops such as rice, wheat, maize, etc. But what actually grown is crops containing hazardous arsenic.
Talking about the health issue caused by this whole scenario is that, Arsenic has been found to be leading to various forms of cancer in India. Specifically skin cancer and cancer of lungs, kidney, and bladder. Several common symptoms like keratosis and pigmentation, which cause hardening of the skin of the palm and soles of feet. It also leads to few other diseases like vascular diseases and respiratory diseases.
Our government is only showing interest in drinking water for the checkup of arsenic contamination. Each hand pumps and tubewell have been tested and marked as safe or unsafe considering the level of arsenic present in water. But this is not enough as the water used for agricultural means has been observed as a major loophole in the surrounding. To solve this issue up to maximum extent government must conduct a closure study towards the water used for agriculture as well, which will prevent it from entering our food chain.
Apart from that, it is our responsibility as well to keep an eye on these and be wise enough to save ourselves and our surroundings from any unusual health impact. Ignoring this can be a reason to destroy the environment with this poison.