Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Over the years, arsenic and fluoride contamination in groundwater in several districts in Assam has been an issue. However, no tangible solution to the menace is yet in place in the state.
Despite constant warnings from doctors and experts on the consequences of such contamination in groundwater in the state, combined efforts from all concerned are lacking. Arsenic contamination in groundwater is considered one of the reasons for the rising cases of cancers, skin diseases, heart diseases, diabetes, etc., in the state. In a recent conference, cancer expert Dr. Manigreeva Krishnatreya said that gallbladder cancer is on the rise in Assam. One of the reasons behind it is a high level of arsenic contamination in drinking water, he said.
On February 7, 2025, Health Minister Ashok Singhal expressed his concern over arsenic contamination in water at a review meeting. He appealed to the Departments of Health, PHE, and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to make united efforts to check the menace. Such assurances from the government are not new. What matters the most is that the number of arsenic contamination areas in the state has not declined. According to official data, the level of arsenic contamination in water is above the permissible limits in 290 habitats in 23 districts in the state.
According to an expert, the government needs to give priority to decentralised and community-based arsenic removal technology. JJM supplies water in many areas of the state, so it must incorporate a mechanism to ensure that the groundwater supplied is free from arsenic and fluoride, another prevalent contaminant in the state’s groundwater. Without this focus on water quality, there is the risk of unintentionally distributing arsenic-laden water through the pipelines in the rural areas of Assam, he said.
PHE has taken some temporary measures like installation of tube wells with filters to make groundwater free from arsenic. However, due to the lack of proper maintenance and continuance, the desired result continues to elude the public. Until and unless the government works on a mission mode to eliminate arsenic contamination from groundwater, the health risk of the rural populace will continue to aggravate.
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