Observation wells fixed in all Kerala districts to check fluoride contamination in groundwater
Wells set up in 1-sq.-km grid by selecting one block in each district as the first phase in areas that had reported water quality issues
The government has earmarked observation wells in all districts to assess the fluoride contamination in groundwater.
The wells have been fixed in 1-sq.-km grid by selecting one block in each district as the first phase in areas that had reported water quality issues. Of the 14 blocks, water quality assessment had been completed in one block, and analysis was progressing in the remaining wells, said a report dated July 23, 2024 filed by the government before the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), New Delhi.
The action taken report was submitted in connection with the case pending before the Bench based on a report of the Ministry of Jal Shakti which stated in December 2023 that arsenic had been detected in groundwater in parts of 230 districts in 25 States and fluoride in 469 districts in 27 States.
The government had suggested that groundwater control measures be implemented more precisely in critical or semi-critical blocks. A policy should be formulated for waste discharge to prevent pollution of groundwater resources with respect to water quality. The Groundwater department had submitted a detailed project proposal to the government on May 10, 2023. The government had approved it on June 27, 2023, according to the report.
A report submitted by the Environment department to the tribunal on February 16, 2024 said that fluoride contamination had been mostly detected beyond permissible limits in a total of nine areas in Palakkad, Malappuram and Alappuzha districts.
The report said that piped water supply schemes had been proposed under the Jal Jeevan Mission in fluoride-contaminated habitations of Palakkad district including Kalavappadam, Odamthodu, and Thekkukalla. Safe drinking water is being provided through the community water purification plant in the affected Karintharuvi ward in Upputhara panchayat in Idukki, it said.
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