Groundwater contaminated beyond BIS limit: Minister

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 2

Several districts of Haryana located in the NCR are partly affected with contamination in groundwater beyond the BIS permissible limit. The contaminants are salinity, fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, iron, heavy metals and cadmium.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply during the Question Hour on Monday, informed the Rajya Sabha that underground water in parts of Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Mahendragarh, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sonepat, Mewat and Palwal have salinity (Electrical Conductivity (EC)) above 3,000 micro mhos/cm) and fluoride (above 1.5 mg/I).

The question was particularly in regard to contamination in groundwater in the NCR region and in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The above districts except Gurugram, Rewari and Mewat are affected by nitrate (above 45 mg/I). Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Mahendragarh, Panipat, Rohtak and Sonepat are affected with iron (above 1 mg/I).

With regard to heavy metals, the districts partly affected are Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Mahendragarh, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak and Sonepat.

On the other hand, Bhiwani, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Jind, Rewari and Rohtak are affected with cadmium.

Shekhawat said water being a state subject, initiatives on its management, including conservation and harvesting, was primarily the state’s responsibility.