Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

            } else {
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		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;,
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&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(viz. data)&lt;/em&gt; are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;(viz. data) are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
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	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 39093,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

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&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(viz. data)&lt;/em&gt; are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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$metaTitle = &#039;NEWS ALERTS | Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;Access to Safe Drinking Water,Arsenic contamination,Arsenic poisoning,Health Hazard,Potable Water&#039;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;(viz. data) are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh..."/>
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                <strong>Bihar, U.P. &amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report</strong></h1>
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                <p>&nbsp;</p><div>The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation <em>(MoWR, RD &amp; GR)</em> in its <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report</a> has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.<br /><br />Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.<br /><br />On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">recent report</a> has identified 94 districts across the country.<br /><br />Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:886px; width:953px" /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access </em><br />---</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:775px; width:1037px" /><br /><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access&nbsp; </em><br />---<br /><br />If one consults the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">reply by the Minister</a> of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 2671</a>)</em> in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.<br /><br /><strong>Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018</strong> &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg" style="height:241px; width:277px" title="Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations" /><br /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</em><br />---<br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.<br /><br /><strong>Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country</strong><br /><br /><img alt="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg" style="height:1226px; width:920px" title="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access</em><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Vadlamudi</a> <em>(Chebrolu block)</em> and <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Etukuru</a> <em>(Guntur Rural block)</em> of Guntur district <em>(Andhra Pradesh)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab">Ramdas</a> <em>(Ajnala block)</em> of Amritsar district <em>(Punjab)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.<br /><br /><strong>Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater</strong><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">reply given</a> by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 550</a>)</em>. On <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">being questioned</a> whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">it cannot be said that a</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">particular disease is caused by</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">arsenic pollution only</a> and, so, <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">no separate details</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">(viz. data) are kept</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">by the government</a>.<br /><br />High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic <em>(for example, through drinking water and food)</em> increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Long-term intake</a> of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">arsenic negatively affects</a> cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Exposure to arsenic adversely</a> affects pregnant women and children including infants.<br /><br /><em><strong>References</strong></em><br /><br />Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access<br />&nbsp;<br />Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html">click here</a> to access<br /><br />Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi</strong></div>               </font>
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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;,
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		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(viz. data)&lt;/em&gt; are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
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High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
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Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
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Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

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&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;(viz. data) are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
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	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 39093,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(viz. data)&lt;/em&gt; are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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$metaTitle = &#039;NEWS ALERTS | Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;Access to Safe Drinking Water,Arsenic contamination,Arsenic poisoning,Health Hazard,Potable Water&#039;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;(viz. data) are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh..."/>
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                <strong>Bihar, U.P. &amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report</strong></h1>
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                <p>&nbsp;</p><div>The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation <em>(MoWR, RD &amp; GR)</em> in its <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report</a> has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.<br /><br />Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.<br /><br />On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">recent report</a> has identified 94 districts across the country.<br /><br />Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:886px; width:953px" /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access </em><br />---</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:775px; width:1037px" /><br /><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access&nbsp; </em><br />---<br /><br />If one consults the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">reply by the Minister</a> of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 2671</a>)</em> in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.<br /><br /><strong>Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018</strong> &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg" style="height:241px; width:277px" title="Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations" /><br /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</em><br />---<br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.<br /><br /><strong>Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country</strong><br /><br /><img alt="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg" style="height:1226px; width:920px" title="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access</em><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Vadlamudi</a> <em>(Chebrolu block)</em> and <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Etukuru</a> <em>(Guntur Rural block)</em> of Guntur district <em>(Andhra Pradesh)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab">Ramdas</a> <em>(Ajnala block)</em> of Amritsar district <em>(Punjab)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.<br /><br /><strong>Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater</strong><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">reply given</a> by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 550</a>)</em>. On <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">being questioned</a> whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">it cannot be said that a</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">particular disease is caused by</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">arsenic pollution only</a> and, so, <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">no separate details</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">(viz. data) are kept</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">by the government</a>.<br /><br />High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic <em>(for example, through drinking water and food)</em> increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Long-term intake</a> of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">arsenic negatively affects</a> cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Exposure to arsenic adversely</a> affects pregnant women and children including infants.<br /><br /><em><strong>References</strong></em><br /><br />Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access<br />&nbsp;<br />Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html">click here</a> to access<br /><br />Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi</strong></div>               </font>
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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f5e9e0cc022-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;,
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		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
---&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(viz. data)&lt;/em&gt; are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;(viz. data) are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
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	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 39093,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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The &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;(viz. data)&lt;/em&gt; are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
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High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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$metaTitle = &#039;NEWS ALERTS | Bihar, U.P. &amp;amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report&#039;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation &lt;em&gt;(MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR)&lt;/em&gt; in its &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;recent report&lt;/a&gt; has identified 94 districts across the country.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp;amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp;amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:886px; width:953px&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp;amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:775px; width:1037px&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source: &lt;/strong&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If one consults the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply by the Minister&lt;/a&gt; of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 2671&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt; in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp;amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:241px; width:277px&quot; title=&quot;Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; src=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg&quot; style=&quot;height:1226px; width:920px&quot; title=&quot;Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Source:&lt;/strong&gt; Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Vadlamudi&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Chebrolu block)&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Andhra Pradesh&quot;&gt;Etukuru&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Guntur Rural block)&lt;/em&gt; of Guntur district &lt;em&gt;(Andhra Pradesh)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Punjab&quot;&gt;Ramdas&lt;/a&gt; &lt;em&gt;(Ajnala block)&lt;/em&gt; of Amritsar district &lt;em&gt;(Punjab)&lt;/em&gt;, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot;&gt;report by the MoWR, RD &amp;amp; GR&lt;/a&gt; states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;reply given&lt;/a&gt; by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 &lt;em&gt;(to &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot;&gt;unstarred question no. 550&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;. On &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;being questioned&lt;/a&gt; whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;it cannot be said that a&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;particular disease is caused by&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic pollution only&lt;/a&gt; and, so, &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;no separate details&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;(viz. data) are kept&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic&quot;&gt;by the government&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;World Health Organization&lt;/a&gt; (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic &lt;em&gt;(for example, through drinking water and food)&lt;/em&gt; increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Long-term intake&lt;/a&gt; of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;arsenic negatively affects&lt;/a&gt; cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;Exposure to arsenic adversely&lt;/a&gt; affects pregnant women and children including infants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;References&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Arsenic hotspot in India&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot; title=&quot;https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot; title=&quot;https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot; title=&quot;https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to access&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh..."/>
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                <strong>Bihar, U.P. &amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report</strong></h1>
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                <p>&nbsp;</p><div>The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation <em>(MoWR, RD &amp; GR)</em> in its <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report</a> has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.<br /><br />Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.<br /><br />On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">recent report</a> has identified 94 districts across the country.<br /><br />Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:886px; width:953px" /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access </em><br />---</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:775px; width:1037px" /><br /><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access&nbsp; </em><br />---<br /><br />If one consults the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">reply by the Minister</a> of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 2671</a>)</em> in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.<br /><br /><strong>Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018</strong> &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg" style="height:241px; width:277px" title="Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations" /><br /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</em><br />---<br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.<br /><br /><strong>Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country</strong><br /><br /><img alt="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg" style="height:1226px; width:920px" title="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access</em><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Vadlamudi</a> <em>(Chebrolu block)</em> and <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Etukuru</a> <em>(Guntur Rural block)</em> of Guntur district <em>(Andhra Pradesh)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab">Ramdas</a> <em>(Ajnala block)</em> of Amritsar district <em>(Punjab)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.<br /><br /><strong>Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater</strong><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">reply given</a> by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 550</a>)</em>. On <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">being questioned</a> whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">it cannot be said that a</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">particular disease is caused by</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">arsenic pollution only</a> and, so, <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">no separate details</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">(viz. data) are kept</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">by the government</a>.<br /><br />High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic <em>(for example, through drinking water and food)</em> increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Long-term intake</a> of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">arsenic negatively affects</a> cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Exposure to arsenic adversely</a> affects pregnant women and children including infants.<br /><br /><em><strong>References</strong></em><br /><br />Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access<br />&nbsp;<br />Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html">click here</a> to access<br /><br />Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi</strong></div>               </font>
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		'title' => 'Bihar, U.P. & West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report',
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		'description' => '<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div>The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation <em>(MoWR, RD &amp; GR)</em> in its <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report</a> has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.<br />
<br />
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.<br />
<br />
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">recent report</a> has identified 94 districts across the country.<br />
<br />
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />
<br />
<img alt="Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre" src="tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:886px; width:953px" /></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access </em><br />
---</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre" src="tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:775px; width:1037px" /><br />
<em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access&nbsp; </em><br />
---<br />
<br />
If one consults the <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">reply by the Minister</a> of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi <em>(to <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 2671</a>)</em> in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.<br />
<br />
<strong>Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018</strong> &nbsp;<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg" style="height:241px; width:277px" title="Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations" /><br />
<br />
<em><strong>Source:</strong> Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</em><br />
---<br />
<br />
The <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.<br />
<br />
<strong>Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country</strong><br />
<br />
<img alt="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" src="tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg" style="height:1226px; width:920px" title="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" /><br />
<em><strong>Source:</strong> Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access</em><br />
<br />
The <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Vadlamudi</a> <em>(Chebrolu block)</em> and <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Etukuru</a> <em>(Guntur Rural block)</em> of Guntur district <em>(Andhra Pradesh)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab">Ramdas</a> <em>(Ajnala block)</em> of Amritsar district <em>(Punjab)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.<br />
<br />
<strong>Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater</strong><br />
<br />
The <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">reply given</a> by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 <em>(to <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 550</a>)</em>. On <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">being questioned</a> whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">it cannot be said that a</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">particular disease is caused by</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">arsenic pollution only</a> and, so, <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">no separate details</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic"><em>(viz. data)</em> are kept</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">by the government</a>.<br />
<br />
High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic <em>(for example, through drinking water and food)</em> increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Long-term intake</a> of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">arsenic negatively affects</a> cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Exposure to arsenic adversely</a> affects pregnant women and children including infants.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>References</strong></em><br />
<br />
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html">click here</a> to access<br />
<br />
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html">click here</a> to access</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div><strong>Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi</strong></div>
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...',
	'disp' => '<p>&nbsp;</p><div>The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation <em>(MoWR, RD &amp; GR)</em> in its <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report</a> has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.<br /><br />Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.<br /><br />On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">recent report</a> has identified 94 districts across the country.<br /><br />Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:886px; width:953px" /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access </em><br />---</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:775px; width:1037px" /><br /><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access&nbsp; </em><br />---<br /><br />If one consults the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">reply by the Minister</a> of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 2671</a>)</em> in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.<br /><br /><strong>Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018</strong> &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg" style="height:241px; width:277px" title="Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations" /><br /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</em><br />---<br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.<br /><br /><strong>Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country</strong><br /><br /><img alt="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg" style="height:1226px; width:920px" title="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access</em><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Vadlamudi</a> <em>(Chebrolu block)</em> and <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Etukuru</a> <em>(Guntur Rural block)</em> of Guntur district <em>(Andhra Pradesh)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab">Ramdas</a> <em>(Ajnala block)</em> of Amritsar district <em>(Punjab)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.<br /><br /><strong>Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater</strong><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">reply given</a> by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 550</a>)</em>. On <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">being questioned</a> whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">it cannot be said that a</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">particular disease is caused by</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">arsenic pollution only</a> and, so, <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">no separate details</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">(viz. data) are kept</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">by the government</a>.<br /><br />High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic <em>(for example, through drinking water and food)</em> increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Long-term intake</a> of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">arsenic negatively affects</a> cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Exposure to arsenic adversely</a> affects pregnant women and children including infants.<br /><br /><em><strong>References</strong></em><br /><br />Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access<br />&nbsp;<br />Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html">click here</a> to access<br /><br />Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi</strong></div>',
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	'title' => 'Bihar, U.P. &amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report',
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	'description' => '<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div>The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation <em>(MoWR, RD &amp; GR)</em> in its <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report</a> has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.<br />
<br />
Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.<br />
<br />
On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">recent report</a> has identified 94 districts across the country.<br />
<br />
Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />
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<img alt="Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre" src="tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:886px; width:953px" /></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<div><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access </em><br />
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<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre" src="tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:775px; width:1037px" /><br />
<em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access&nbsp; </em><br />
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If one consults the <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">reply by the Minister</a> of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi <em>(to <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 2671</a>)</em> in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.<br />
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<strong>Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018</strong> &nbsp;<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg" style="height:241px; width:277px" title="Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations" /><br />
<br />
<em><strong>Source:</strong> Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</em><br />
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<br />
The <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.<br />
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<strong>Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country</strong><br />
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<img alt="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" src="tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg" style="height:1226px; width:920px" title="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" /><br />
<em><strong>Source:</strong> Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access</em><br />
<br />
The <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Vadlamudi</a> <em>(Chebrolu block)</em> and <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Etukuru</a> <em>(Guntur Rural block)</em> of Guntur district <em>(Andhra Pradesh)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab">Ramdas</a> <em>(Ajnala block)</em> of Amritsar district <em>(Punjab)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.<br />
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<strong>Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater</strong><br />
<br />
The <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">reply given</a> by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 <em>(to <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 550</a>)</em>. On <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">being questioned</a> whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">it cannot be said that a</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">particular disease is caused by</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">arsenic pollution only</a> and, so, <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">no separate details</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic"><em>(viz. data)</em> are kept</a> <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">by the government</a>.<br />
<br />
High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic <em>(for example, through drinking water and food)</em> increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Long-term intake</a> of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">arsenic negatively affects</a> cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Exposure to arsenic adversely</a> affects pregnant women and children including infants.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>References</strong></em><br />
<br />
Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please <a href="tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html">click here</a> to access<br />
<br />
Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html">click here</a> to access</div>

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<div><strong>Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi</strong></div>
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$metaTitle = 'NEWS ALERTS | Bihar, U.P. &amp; West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report'
$metaKeywords = 'Access to Safe Drinking Water,Arsenic contamination,Arsenic poisoning,Health Hazard,Potable Water'
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD &amp; GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh...'
$disp = '<p>&nbsp;</p><div>The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation <em>(MoWR, RD &amp; GR)</em> in its <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report</a> has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.<br /><br />Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India.<br /><br />On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">recent report</a> has identified 94 districts across the country.<br /><br />Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh &amp; Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal &amp; Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 1 Number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater between 0.01 to 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%201%20Number%20of%20districts%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20between%200.01%20to%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:886px; width:953px" /></div><p>&nbsp;</p><div>&nbsp;</div><div><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access </em><br />---</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam &amp; Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre.<br /><br /><img alt="Chart 2 State UT wise number of districts in having arsenic concentration in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%202%20State%20UT%20wise%20number%20of%20districts%20in%20having%20arsenic%20concentration%20in%20groundwater%20greater%20than%200.05%20mg%20per%20litre.jpg" style="height:775px; width:1037px" /><br /><em><strong>Source: </strong>Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access&nbsp; </em><br />---<br /><br />If one consults the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">reply by the Minister</a> of State for Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 2671</a>)</em> in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details.<br /><br /><strong>Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water &amp; Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018</strong> &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt="" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Table%201%20State-wise%20number%20of%20arsenic%20affected%20habitations.jpg" style="height:241px; width:277px" title="Table 1 State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations" /><br /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</em><br />---<br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">latest report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination.<br /><br /><strong>Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country</strong><br /><br /><img alt="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" src="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Chart%203%20Arsenic%20hotspots%20in%20the%20country.jpg" style="height:1226px; width:920px" title="Chart 3 Arsenic hotspots in the country" /><br /><em><strong>Source:</strong> Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access</em><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Vadlamudi</a> <em>(Chebrolu block)</em> and <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Andhra%20Pradesh.jpg" title="Andhra Pradesh">Etukuru</a> <em>(Guntur Rural block)</em> of Guntur district <em>(Andhra Pradesh)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Punjab_1.jpg" title="Punjab">Ramdas</a> <em>(Ajnala block)</em> of Amritsar district <em>(Punjab)</em>, the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre.<br /><br /><strong>Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater</strong><br /><br />The <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf">report by the MoWR, RD &amp; GR</a> states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">reply given</a> by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 <em>(to <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf">unstarred question no. 550</a>)</em>. On <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">being questioned</a> whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">it cannot be said that a</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">particular disease is caused by</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">arsenic pollution only</a> and, so, <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">no separate details</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">(viz. data) are kept</a> <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic.jpg" title="Arsenic">by the government</a>.<br /><br />High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic <em>(for example, through drinking water and food)</em> increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Long-term intake</a> of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">arsenic negatively affects</a> cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">Exposure to arsenic adversely</a> affects pregnant women and children including infants.<br /><br /><em><strong>References</strong></em><br /><br />Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Arsenic%20hotspot%20in%20India.pdf" title="Arsenic hotspot in India">click here</a> to access<br />&nbsp;<br />Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no%202671%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2027th%20December%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no 2671 to be answered on 27th December 2018">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please <a href="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018" title="https://im4change.in/siteadmin/tinymce/uploaded/Lok%20Sabha%20unstarred%20Question%20no.%20550%20to%20be%20answered%20on%2020th%20July%202018.pdf" title="Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550 to be answered on 20th July 2018">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic" title="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/silent-killer-arsenic-slowly-poisoning-crores-of-people-in-west-bengal-as-successive-govts-fail-to-address-issue-atonu-choudhurri-4686903.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/time-bound-plan-needed-to-address-contaminated-water-mayank-aggarwal-4686339.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/high-arsenic-levels-in-punjab-wells-raising-major-public-health-concern-study-4686148.html">click here</a> to access<br /><br />Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/death-by-slow-poisoning-priyanka-pulla-4684648.html">click here</a> to access&nbsp;<br /><br />Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please <a href="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html" title="https://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/cancer-has-exploded-in-bihar-as-lakhs-of-people-drink-water-poisoned-with-arsenic-m-rajshekhar-4681683.html">click here</a> to access</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi</strong></div>'
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Bihar, U.P. & West Bengal are worst affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater, says recent report

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD & GR) in its latest report has identified arsenic hotspots across the country, most notably in the states of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Please consult chart-3 to get an idea about the geographical spread of arsenic hotspots in India. On the basis of arsenic concentration in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre in water samples collected from groundwater observation wells and hand pumps, the recent report has identified 94 districts across the country. Chart-1 shows that Bihar (19) has the highest number of districts having arsenic concentration in groundwater samples in the range 0.01-0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh & Gujarat (12 each), West Bengal & Madhya Pradesh (8 each) and Assam (7).         Source: Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please click here to access ---   From chart-2 one gets that West Bengal (6) leads in terms of having the highest number of districts with arsenic concentration in groundwater samples greater than 0.05 mg per litre, followed by Uttar Pradesh (5) and Assam & Punjab (3 each). There are altogether 26 districts/ UTs in the country with arsenic contamination in groundwater greater than 0.05 mg per litre. Source: Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please click here to access  --- If one consults the reply by the Minister of State for Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi (to unstarred question no. 2671) in the Lok Sabha on 27th December, 2018, it could be found that most number of arsenic affected habitations are located in West Bengal (9,250), followed by Assam (4,327), Bihar (815), Uttar Pradesh (745) and Punjab (652). Please see table-1 for details. Table 1: State-wise number of arsenic affected habitations as reported by the states in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation as on 20th December, 2018   Source: Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please click here to access --- The latest report by the MoWR, RD & GR mentions that in the state of West Bengal, 79 blocks in 8 districts have arsenic in groundwater beyond the permissible limit of 0.05 mg per litre. The districts, which are affected by high concentration of arsenic in groundwater, are Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman. Please check chart-3. In West Bengal, arsenic is found in groundwater, which is derived from aquifers upto 100 metre depth, although the deeper aquifers are free from arsenic contamination. Chart 3: Arsenic hotspots in the country Source: Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please click here to access The report by the MoWR, RD & GR also provides the list of blocks and locations within each district, where arsenic concentration in groundwater is high. For example, in Vadlamudi (Chebrolu block) and Etukuru (Guntur Rural block) of Guntur district (Andhra Pradesh), the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater were 0.02 mg per litre and 0.01 mg per litre, respectively. Similarly, in Ramdas (Ajnala block) of Amritsar district (Punjab), the concentration of arsenic found in groundwater was 0.06 mg per litre. Health impact of arsenic contamination in groundwater The report by the MoWR, RD & GR states that arsenic has been recognized as a toxic element and is considered a human health hazard. In this context it is essential to consult the reply given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha on 20th July, 2018 (to unstarred question no. 550). On being questioned whether diseases caused by arsenic pollution are rapidly rising in the country particularly in backward and rural areas, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated that it cannot be said that a particular disease is caused by arsenic pollution only and, so, no separate details (viz. data) are kept by the government. High levels of arsenic in drinking water is carcinogenic to human beings, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Long-term exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic (for example, through drinking water and food) increases the chance of skin cancer and may also cause cancers of the bladder and lungs. Long-term intake of inorganic arsenic could impact health in terms of developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to arsenic negatively affects cognitive development, intelligence, and memory. Exposure to arsenic adversely affects pregnant women and children including infants. References Arsenic hotspots in groundwater in India (2019), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, please click here to access   Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 2671, to be answered on 27th December, 2018, please click here to access   Lok Sabha unstarred Question no. 550, to be answered on 20th July, 2018, please click here to access  Note on Arsenic, World Health Organization (WHO), 15th February, 2018, please click here to access  Silent killer arsenic slowly poisoning crores of people in West Bengal as successive govts fail to address issue -Atonu Choudhurri, Firstpost.com, 3 April, 2019, please click here to access  Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water -Mayank Aggarwal, Mongabay.com, 10 January, 2019, please click here to access  High Arsenic Levels In Punjab Wells Raising Major Public-Health Concern: Study, NDTV, 11 December, 2018, please click here to access Death by slow poisoning -Priyanka Pulla, The Hindu, 19 May, 2018, please click here to access  Cancer has exploded in Bihar as lakhs of people drink water poisoned with arsenic -M Rajshekhar, Scroll.in, 24 April, 2017, please click here to access     Image Courtesy: Inclusive Media for Change/ Himanshu Joshi