Lok Sabha Question No. 2394 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-13
Subject: Uranium and Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Naveen Jindal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2394

## ANSWERED ON 13.03.2025

## URANIUM AND ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN GROUNDWATER

## 2394. SHRI NAVEEN JINDAL

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  uranium  and  arsenic  contamination  of  groundwater  is  on  rise  in  certain  parts  of  the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;

(b) the details of drinking water standards for uranium and arsenic contamination in groundwater; and

(c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to deal with the uranium and arsenic contamination in the groundwater and drinking water and the results thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  conducts  ground  water  quality  monitoring  for  several contaminants  including  Uranium  and  Arsenic  on  a  regular  basis  throughout  the  country  and  also generates ground water quality data on a regional scale during various scientific studies. These studies indicate the occurrence of Uranium and Arsenic in ground water beyond permissible limits (as per BIS) for human consumption in isolated pockets of some States / UTs. Details of such reported contamination for the year 2023 are provided in Annexure. Further, it is to state that though relatively higher number of cases of Uranium and Arsenic contamination are reported in some isolated parts of the country, the same may be due to increased testing frequency taken up by CGWB in areas which are vulnerable to contamination.

(b) As per Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the safe limits of Uranium and Arsenic in water used for drinking purposes are 30 micrograms/Liter and 10 micrograms/Liter respectively.

(c) Water  is  a  state  subject  and  the  responsibility  of  ground  water  management,  including  taking initiatives for improving ground water quality and mitigate the contamination issue, lies primarily with the state governments. In addition to this, several steps have been taken by the Central Government in this direction. Some of the important ones are mentioned below:-

- i. The ground water quality data generated by CGWB including that for Uranium and Arsenic contamination, is regularly disseminated through Annual Reports, Half-yearly Bulletins and Fortnightly Alerts for quick action by the stakeholders.

- ii. CGWB has successfully constructed  Arsenic free wells in arsenic affected areas using the cement  sealing  technology  for  tapping  contamination  free  aquifers  and  also  providing technical assistance to state departments for replicating such construction.
- iii. Under the National Aquifer Mapping Programme (NAQUIM) of CGWB, while taking up aquifer  studies,  special  attention  is  being  given  to  the  aspect  of  ground  water  quality including contamination by toxic substances such as Uranium and Arsenic in ground water.
- iv. Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  association  with  State  Pollution  Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees (SPCBs/PCCs) is implementing the provisions of the Water  (Prevention  &  Control)  Act,  1974  and  the  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986  to prevent  and  control  pollution  in  water.  CPCB  has  made  a  comprehensive  programme  on water pollution for controlling point sources by developing industry specific standards and general standards for discharge of effluents notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for enforcement by SPCBs/PCCs.
- v. Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Har Ghar Jal, since August 2019, to make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, 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.  Further,  under  JJM,  while allocating the funds to States/ UTs, 10% weightage is given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants.
- vi. States/ UTs have been advised to plan and implement piped water supply schemes of bulk water transfer based on safe water sources such as surface water sources or alternative safe ground water sources for the villages with water quality issues.
- vii. Further, the quality of groundwater can be improved to some extent if concerted efforts are made to improve the groundwater resources through appropriate groundwater recharge/rainwater harvesting. Government of India in this regard has taken up a number of initiatives/schemes like Jal Shakti Abhiyan, PMKSY-Watershed development, MGNREGA, Atal Bhujal Yojana etc.

***

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2394 TO BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  13.03.2025  REGARDING  'URANIUM  AND  ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN GROUNDWATER'.

## State-wise details of Arsenic and Uranium Contamination in Ground Water for Year 2023

| S.No                                                                           |                                                                                | Arsenic                                                                        | Arsenic                                                                        | Arsenic                                                                        | Uranium                                                                        | Uranium                                                                        | Uranium                                                                        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                                | State                                                                          | No. of samples analysed                                                        | %of samples with As> 10 ug/L                                                   | No of districts having Arsenic > 10 ug/L in isolated pockets                   | No. of samples U analysed                                                      | %of samples U> 30 ug/L                                                         | No of districts having U > 30 ug/L in isolated pockets                         |
| 1                                                                              | Andaman& Nicobar Islands                                                       | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 2                                                                              | Andhra Pradesh                                                                 | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 3                                                                              | Arunachal Pradesh                                                              | 12                                                                             | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 12                                                                             | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 4                                                                              | Assam                                                                          | 155                                                                            | 0.65                                                                           | 1                                                                              | 155                                                                            | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 5                                                                              | Bihar                                                                          | 0                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 752                                                                            | 0.1                                                                            | 1                                                                              |
| 6                                                                              | Chandigarh UT                                                                  | 8                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 8                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 7                                                                              | Chhattisgarh                                                                   | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 783                                                                            | 0.6                                                                            | 3                                                                              |
| 8                                                                              | Dadra &Nagar Haveli And Daman &Diu                                             | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 9                                                                              | Delhi                                                                          | 103                                                                            | 2.91                                                                           | 2                                                                              | 103                                                                            | 10.7                                                                           | 6                                                                              |
| 10                                                                             | Goa                                                                            | 6                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 6                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 11                                                                             | Gujarat                                                                        | 0                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 12                                                                             | Haryana                                                                        | 857                                                                            | 0.70                                                                           | 5                                                                              | 857                                                                            | 18.7                                                                           | 16                                                                             |
| 13                                                                             | Himachal Pradesh                                                               | 0                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 14                                                                             | Jammu &Kashmir                                                                 | 250                                                                            | 0.8                                                                            | 2                                                                              | 250                                                                            | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 15                                                                             | Jharkhand                                                                      | 0                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 342                                                                            | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 16                                                                             | Karnataka                                                                      | 125                                                                            | 3.20                                                                           | 2                                                                              | 125                                                                            | 4.8                                                                            | 3                                                                              |
| 17                                                                             | Kerala                                                                         | 0                                                                              | 0.00                                                                           | 0                                                                              | 342                                                                            | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 18                                                                             | Madhya Pradesh                                                                 | 1064                                                                           | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 1064                                                                           | 0.5                                                                            | 3                                                                              |
| 19                                                                             | Maharashtra                                                                    | 0                                                                              | 0.00                                                                           | 0                                                                              | 1567                                                                           | 0.2                                                                            | 3                                                                              |
| 20                                                                             | Meghalaya                                                                      | 39                                                                             | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 39                                                                             | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 21                                                                             | Mizoram                                                                        | 3                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 3                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 22                                                                             | Nagaland                                                                       | 6                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 6                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 23                                                                             | Odisha                                                                         | 904                                                                            | 0.66                                                                           | 3                                                                              | 904                                                                            | 0.3                                                                            | 3                                                                              |
| 24                                                                             | Pondicherry                                                                    | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 4                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 25                                                                             | Punjab                                                                         | 908                                                                            | 4.85                                                                           | 12                                                                             | 908                                                                            | 32.6                                                                           | 20                                                                             |
| 26                                                                             | Rajasthan                                                                      | 0                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 627                                                                            | 21.2                                                                           | 21                                                                             |
| 27                                                                             | Tamil Nadu                                                                     | 0                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 915                                                                            | 2.3                                                                            | 9                                                                              |
| 28                                                                             | Telangana                                                                      | 0                                                                              | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
| 29                                                                             | Tripura                                                                        | 81                                                                             | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              | 81                                                                             | 0.0                                                                            | 0                                                                              |
| 30                                                                             | Uttar Pradesh                                                                  | 1386                                                                           | 6.70                                                                           | 29                                                                             | 1386                                                                           | 8.3                                                                            | 43                                                                             |
| 31                                                                             | Uttarakhand                                                                    | 207                                                                            | 3.86                                                                           | 3                                                                              | 206                                                                            | 0.5                                                                            | 1                                                                              |
| 32                                                                             | West Bengal                                                                    | 959 7074                                                                       | 8.76 3.55                                                                      | 6                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              | 0                                                                              |
|                                                                                | Grand Total                                                                    |                                                                                |                                                                                | 65                                                                             | 11445                                                                          | 6.6                                                                            | 132                                                                            |
| Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs | Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs | Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs | Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs | Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs | Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs | Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs | Parts of 65 districts in 10 States/UTs Parts of 132 districts in 13 States/UTs |

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