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Arsenic in your water

A report submitted to the government has pointed out that at least 12 states have water contaminated by arsenic, a chemical naturally found in the ground and extremely harmful to humans and animals.



A report submitted to the government has pointed out that at least 12 states have water contaminated by arsenic, a chemical naturally found in the ground and extremely harmful to humans and animals. The latest information is an addition to multiple reports that have earlier pointed to the existence of arsenic in our environment. There is a discovery of more and more affected areas as well as a realisation that the contamination may even be spreading. Several districts of Punjab and Haryana are among the areas identified, which should be of particular concern not only for the people in the affected areas but all over, as some of the food grown in these states may be irrigated with water that bears arsenic.

It has been estimated that one lakh people have died from arsenic-related diseases and around seven crore may be affected by it. An Indian Council of Agriculture Research study has specifically pointed to the presence of arsenic in vegetables, oilseeds and pulses, which is particularly alarming as there is no way to avoid such food items. It is practically not possible for a consumer to know the quality of the food, or even where it came from. But the biggest source of arsenic poisoning is the water that people drink. In the affected areas, there are hardly alternative sources of safe water.

Given the serious health hazard that this and several other chemicals infused into the ground water by agricultural pesticides pose, the latest report should be treated as an alarm bell. Punjab and Haryana can begin with mapping the water quality for each independent water supply system in every village, town and city. To know is half the battle. Thereafter civic bodies, supported financially by state and Central governments, will have to devise area-specific strategies to ensure the availability of safe drinking water, which could include reverse-osmosis (RO) filters or even changing the source of water. A push for RO systems in villages during the last tenure of the SAD-BJP government somehow lost steam during the current term. It is time we moved from awareness to action; lives are at stake.

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