Lok Sabha Question No. 4600 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-27
Subject: Arsenic Level in Groundwater in Uttar Pradesh
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Devesh Shakya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4600

ANSWERED ON 27.03.2025

## ARSENIC LEVEL IN GROUNDWATER IN UTTAR PRADESH

## †4600. SHRI DEVESH SHAKYA

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware of the fact that the arsenic level in groundwater has been found to be more than 0.01 mg/litre in 45 districts of Uttar Pradesh including Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Kannauj and Auraiya;

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  efforts  made/being  made  by  the  Government  to  alleviate  this contamination and implement corrective measures in this regard;

(c) whether the Government has conducted any health impact assessment in the arsenic affected areas and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to increase public awareness about the dangers of arsenic exposure and to promote safe drinking water practices?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & (b) Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data on a regional scale as part of its ground water quality monitoring program and various scientific studies. As per the latest data of Annual Ground Water Quality Report - 2024, prepared by CGWB, occurrence of Arsenic in ground water in  excess  of  the  prescribed  limits  has  been  reported  in  isolated  pockets  of  29  districts  in  Uttar  Pradesh. District-wise distribution of Arsenic beyond permissible limit (> 0.01 mg/liter) in Uttar Pradesh is attached at Annexure .

Water  being  a  State  subject,  sustainable  development  and  management  of  groundwater  resources, including the quality aspect is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments. However, the Central Government facilitates the efforts of the State Governments, including Uttar Pradesh, through technical and financial assistance through its various schemes and projects. In this direction, the important steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and other central ministries are given below :-

-  Data on ground water quality available with CGWB are shared in public domain through reports and also shared with concerned State Governments for taking necessary remedial measures. To further accelerate the dissemination of knowledge on ground water quality, CGWB has initiated

the practice of issuing half-yearly ground water quality Bulletins and fortnightly Alerts so that immediate action can be initiated in the reported areas.

-  Under  the  National  Aquifer  Mapping  Programme  (NAQUIM)  of  CGWB,  special  attention  is being given to the aspect of ground water quality including contamination by toxic substances such as Arsenic in ground water. CGWB is also successfully constructing Arsenic free wells in arsenic affected areas using the innovative cement sealing technology for tapping contamination free aquifers. So far, 294 exploratory wells tapping arsenic safe aquifers have been constructed under  NAQUIM programme in Uttar Pradesh. Moreover, as per the information received, the Uttar  Pradesh  Jal  Nigam,  has  also  adopted  this  technology  and  constructed  204  well  using cement sealing technology in 9 Districts benefiting 5 lakh inhabitants.
-  CPCB has made a comprehensive programme on water pollution for controlling point sources the main components of which are developing industry specific standards and general standards for discharge of effluents notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India to be enforced by the SPCBs / PCCs through consent mechanism; Establishment of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) for cluster of Small Scale Industries; Installation of Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS)  by  Grossly  Polluting  Industries  for  getting  real  time  information  on  the  effluent quality etc.
-  Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) since August, 2019 to provide potable tap water supply of prescribed quality and on regular & long term basis to every rural household in the country. Under the JJM, Bureau of Indian Standards' BIS:10500  standards  have  been  adopted  as  prescribed  norms  for  quality  of  tap  water  service delivery. Water safety has been one of the key priorities under the JJM since its inception.
-  Under JJM, while planning water supply schemes to provide tap water supply to house-holds, priority  is  given  to  quality-affected  habitations.  While  allocating  the  funds  to  States/  UTs in  a particular  financial  year,  10%  weightage  is  given  to  the  population  residing  in  habitations affected by chemical contaminants, including Arsenic.

(c) Use  of  Ground  Water  for  drinking  purpose  having  Arsenic  beyond  the  permissible  limits  over  a prolonged period of time is known to cause several adverse health effects. As per the information provided by M/o Health & Family Welfare, Arsenic exposure can cause skin lesions, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and developmental issues in children.

(d) Several measures have been initiated by the Union Government to raise public awareness regarding dangers of Arsenic exposure:

-  Firstly, technical guidelines for 'Detection, Prevention and Management of Arsenicosis in India' have been prepared by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and shared with the affected States for use by the health authorities and programme managers. These are also to be used for training of field functionaries such as medical officers, paramedical workers, etc.
-  In  order  to  create  awareness  of  disease  symptoms  and  prevention  of  Arsenicosis,  Ministry  of Health  &  Family  Welfare  has  also  shared  Information,  Education  and  Communication  (IEC) material with the affected States.
-  Further,  CGWB  conducts  Public  Interaction  Programmes  (PIPs)  at  the  grassroots  level  for dissemination  of  outputs  of  scientific  studies  being  carried  out  by  CGWB  and  to  raise  public awareness  about  ground  water  related  issues  including  the  issues  of  contamination  by  toxic elements like Arsenic.
-  In  order  to  take  the  awareness  on  drinking  water  quality  to  the  grassroots,  under  Jal  Jeevan Mission, the 'Drinking Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Framework' was devised and disseminated  to  states  in  October  2021.  To  facilitate  implementation  of  the  above  said Framework, more than 2100 water quality testing laboratories have been set up in the country. Besides this, five persons, preferably women, are identified and trained from every village for testing the water samples through Field Test Kits (FTKs). So far, more than 24 lakh women have been in the country, with 5.53 lakh in Uttar Pradesh.

***

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  4600  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  27.03.2025  REGARDING  'ARSENIC LEVEL IN GROUNDWATER IN UTTAR PRADESH'.

District-Wise Distribution of Arsenic beyond permissible limit in Uttar Pradesh State

| S.No.   | District Name      |   Total no. of Samples Analyzed |   No. of Samples showing Arsenic more than Permissible Limits (>0.01 mg/l) |   %of Samples showing Arsenic more than Permissible Limits (>0.01 mg/l) |
|---------|--------------------|---------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1       | Aligarh            |                              34 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     2.9 |
| 2       | Azamgarh           |                               8 |                                                                          2 |                                                                    25   |
| 3       | Baghpat            |                               9 |                                                                          1 |                                                                    11.1 |
| 4       | Bahraich           |                              18 |                                                                         11 |                                                                    61.1 |
| 5       | Ballia             |                              11 |                                                                          5 |                                                                    45.5 |
| 6       | Balrampur          |                              33 |                                                                          5 |                                                                    15.2 |
| 7       | Barabanki          |                              20 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     5   |
| 8       | Bareilly           |                              14 |                                                                          2 |                                                                    14.3 |
| 9       | Basti              |                               8 |                                                                          1 |                                                                    12.5 |
| 10      | Bijnor             |                              17 |                                                                          3 |                                                                    17.6 |
| 11      | Bulandshahar       |                              24 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     4.2 |
| 12      | Deoria             |                              21 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     4.8 |
| 13      | Faizabad / Ayodhya |                              11 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     9.1 |
| 14      | Gonda              |                              11 |                                                                          5 |                                                                    45.5 |
| 15      | Gorakhpur          |                              33 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     3   |
| 16      | Hardoi             |                              21 |                                                                          3 |                                                                    14.3 |
| 17      | Kushinagar         |                              11 |                                                                          2 |                                                                    18.2 |
| 18      | Lakhimpur Kheri    |                              50 |                                                                         23 |                                                                    46   |
| 19      | Mainpuri           |                              10 |                                                                          1 |                                                                    10   |
| 20      | Mirzapur           |                              30 |                                                                          2 |                                                                     6.7 |
| 21      | Moradabad          |                              12 |                                                                          5 |                                                                    41.7 |
| 22      | Pilibhit           |                              23 |                                                                          4 |                                                                    17.4 |
| 23      | Raebareli          |                              15 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     6.7 |
| 24      | Rampur             |                               9 |                                                                          2 |                                                                    22.2 |
| 25      | Saharanpur         |                              15 |                                                                          1 |                                                                     6.7 |
| 26      | Sambhal            |                               5 |                                                                          1 |                                                                    20   |
| 27      | Sant Kabir Nagar   |                              24 |                                                                          3 |                                                                    12.5 |
| 28      | Shahjahanpur       |                              22 |                                                                          2 |                                                                     9.1 |
| 29      | Siddharth Nagar    |                              36 |                                                                          2 |                                                                     5.6 |
|         | TOTAL              |                             555 |                                                                         93 |                                                                    16.8 |

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