NEW DELHI – New groundwater contamination has been found in northwestIndia, involving a high level of Uranium that can cause high risks ofchronic kidney diseases.
The new addition to the water quality problems occurred in recentlypublished research that shows the large-scale presenceof uranium in several parts of India, particularly Gujrat and Rajasthan,the areas border with Pakistan’s Sindh province.
The level of the chemical element found in the groundwater resources ishigher than 30 µg/L, the limit suggested by the World Health Organisation(WHO).
The water problems are not new for India as its groundwater also suffersfrom multiple issues such as arsenic and fluoride contamination that posehuman health risks. The area mostly affected from these issues are WestBengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam.
ACS Publications which conducted the research says, “We present compileddata on groundwater uranium from 16 Indian states and new data from 324wells in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat that show a high prevalence ofuranium concentrations above the World Health Organization provisionalguideline value of 30 μg/L across India”.
The results showed that 75 of the 226 wells (28.7%) tested in Rajasthan andfive of the 98 wells (5.1%) tested in Gujarat had more uranium than theWHO’s described limit. The levels of the chemical element in some wells ofRajasthan were close to 300 µg/L.
In findings, It says: “Using geochemical and uranium isotope data, wesuggest factors that may drive high uranium concentrations in groundwater,including uranium content in aquifer rocks, oxidation state, andgroundwater chemistry that promotes the formation of soluble uranylcarbonate complexes. While the primary source of uranium is geogenic,anthropogenic factors such as groundwater table decline and nitratepollution may further enhance uranium mobilization”.
In India, the limits for arsenic and other toxic metals have been definedbut there is no limit maintained for uranium, a heavy metal that can leadto severe kidney problems due to its chemical toxicity. However, the AtomicEnergy Regulatory Board of India has set a radiology-based limit of 60 µg/Lfor uranium.
Avner Vengosh, a geochemist at Duke University, North Carolina, and anauthor of the new study related to tracking uranium, talking to The Wiresaid, “We did not know in the beginning of the study about the high uraniumand the results indeed surprised us, especially since the uranium problemis all over India”.
“The source of uranium is naturally occurring, but human activities likeover pumping enhance the uranium problem,” said Vengosh.
The findings of the new study suggest the need for revision of the currentwater quality monitoring program in India, evaluation of human health risksin areas of high uranium prevalence, development of adequate remediationtechnologies, and, above all, implementation of preventive managementpractices to address this problem.
Alarm Bells Ringing For Pakistan
The aggravated situation of groundwater resources in the neighbouringcountry also put Pakistan, where people in major parts have no access toclean drinking water, on risk.
A one-man inquiry commission, which was appointed by the Supreme Court tocheck the water situation in Sindh, recently submitted a report, regrettingthat quality of drinking water in Sindh had gone from bad to worse.
The commission’s report explained that 78.1pc of the water samples werefound unsafe for drinking in 13 districts of Sindh, including all sixdistricts of Karachi. The condition of water filtration plants has also notimproved.