Minister admits arsenic, fluoride & iron contamination in Bihar

Patna: Arsenic has been detected in groundwater sources in 14 districts, fluoride in 11 districts and iron in 12 districts of Bihar, PHED minister Sanjay Singh admitted while responding to a calling attention motion moved by JD(U) MLA Dulal Chandra Goswami during Question Hour in the legislative assembly on Wednesday.

Goswami said dangerous diseases affecting the skin and bones, anaemia, blueberry syndrome and even cancer were spreading rapidly in Seemanchal and in areas along the banks of the Ganga due to polluted groundwater.


The minister said the department conducts regular water quality tests and has issued toll-free and WhatsApp numbers to address complaints promptly. “So far, 1,11,682 complaints have been received through CGRC in this financial year and 108,832 of them have been resolved,” he said.

He stated that nitrate and lead have not been found beyond permissible limits in installed water supply schemes. However, in some hand pumps, nitrate levels were found to exceed the prescribed standard. These hand pumps have been marked and painted red to warn people against using the water for drinking purposes, he added.

The minister said the permissible limit of nitrate is 45 milligrams per litre, and excessive levels can cause blueberry disease in children. The permissible limit of fluoride is 1.0 milligrams per litre, beyond which it may lead to bone fluorosis and tooth decay. The permissible limit of arsenic is 0.01 milligrams per litre.

“In arsenic-affected areas, arsenic purification equipment has been set up in 4,709 wards against a target of 4,709 wards. ‘Jalapurti Yojana’ with facilities of water treatment plants have been established in 3,784 wards against the target of 3,789 wards. The water supply units have been established with iron treatment plants in 21,471 wards against the target of 21,709 iron affected wards,” he said.

At the government level, the tap water scheme has been implemented and water quality testing and purification are being undertaken to address drinking water issues, Singh said. He added that water samples are tested by laboratories established at state, district and divisional levels in accordance with departmental protocol.

He said chlorination units have been installed in all departmental water supply units to prevent bacterial contamination.

Thirty district-level water testing laboratories and 75 sub-divisional water laboratories have been established. Bacterial examination of water samples is being conducted at panchayat and district levels, he said.

The minister informed the House that chemical pollution in groundwater mainly occurs due to the presence of chemicals in subsurface rocks. Excessive extraction of groundwater increases chemical concentration in water. To address this, surface-based units are being constructed for safer utilisation of groundwater.