Groundwater unfit for drinking in 171 Mahendragarh villages

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Narnaul, July 30

The groundwater is unfit for consumption in 171 villages of Mahendragarh district as the fluoride content in the water is high resulting in dental and skeletal fluorosis, anemia, gastroenteritis and other abdominal disorders among the villagers.

Rathivaas, the native place of Education Minister Rambilas Sharma is also among the villages where the fluoride content is higher than the permissible limit of 1 ppm (part per million). A large numbers of villages here are dependent upon groundwater to meet drinking and irrigation needs.

Officials said the fluoride content has been is alarming in villages like Bas Kirarod and Kanvi (6.6 ppm each), Bhungarka (6.2 ppm), Chapra Salimpur (5.9 ppm), Bhojawaas (5.6 ppm) and Mulodi (5.2 ppm).

These statistics are based on a survey conducted by the health authorities in all 350 villages of the district under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis (NPPCF) to find out the fluoride level in drinking water.

“Persistently depleting water table and fluoride-rich soil are responsible for enhancing the fluoride level in ground water of the 171 villages. Fluoride content in the water has been recorded between 3 to 6.6 ppm in 29 villages, which is quite harmful for humans,” said Dr Sanjay Yadav, district consultant with the NPPCF.

Samples were taken from wells and tube wells in these villages and were later tested in a laboratory.

“To make the villagers aware about adverse effect of high fluoride levels, a special awareness programme is being carried ou. They have also been motivated to use RO system for making the water consumable,” said Yadav. A laboratory has been established in the Civil Surgeon’s office to check the fluoride level in the water free of cost.