Lok Sabha Question No. 1442 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-13
Subject: Groundwater Quality in Andhra Pradesh
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Shri G M Harish Balayogi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1442

ANSWERED ON 13.02.2025

## GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN ANDHRA PRADESH

## 1442. SHRI LAVU SRI KRISHNA DEVARAYALU SHRI G M HARISH BALAYOGI

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the groundwater in Andhra Pradesh contains high levels of fluoride, nitrate, chloride, arsenic, and uranium  and  also  exhibits  elevated  Electrical  Conductivity  (EC),  Sodium  Adsorption  Ratio  (SAR)  and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC);

(b) if so, the details thereof indicating water samples exceeding permissible limits for each parameter during the last five years and the current year in Andhra Pradesh, district-wise especially for Palnadu;

(c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to address these issues, including the measures to mitigate salinity ingress, agricultural runoff and over-exploitation of groundwater;

(d)  the  funds  allocated,  released  and  utilized  for  improving  water  quality  and  groundwater  management  in Andhra Pradesh during the last five years and the current year; and

(e) whether the Government has conducted any study or assessment on the impact of poor water quality on public  health,  agriculture  and  soil  degradation  in  Andhra  Pradesh,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  if  not,  the reasons therefor?

## 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 including Andhra Pradesh as part of its ground water quality monitoring program and various scientific studies. Based  on  the  data  of  Annual  Ground  Water  Quality  Report,  2024  of  CGWB  contaminants  like  Fluoride, Nitrate,  Arsenic  etc.  have  been  reported  in  certain  isolated  pockets  across  various  States  and  UTs  of  the country,  including  Andhra  Pradesh.  Summary  of  various  contaminants  and  other  parameters  like  Electrical Conductivity (EC), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) for the state of Andhra Pradesh is provided in Annexure -I . Further, parameter-wise details of samples exceeding permissible limits  for  the  last  five  years  for  the  state  of  Andhra  Pradesh  and  specifically  for  the  district  of  Palnadu  is provided in Annexure -II .

(c) 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 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 made available 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 in ground water.  CGWB is successfully  constructing  Arsenic  free  wells  in  arsenic  affected  areas  using  the innovative cement sealing technology for tapping contamination free aquifers and also providing technical  assistance  to  state  departments  in  construction  of  Fluoride  safe  wells.  Further,  areas  of reported ground water issues like salinity ingress, alkalinity etc. are being taken up on priority basis for NAQUIM studies.
-  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 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.
-  Awareness  generation programs/ workshop  on  various aspects of ground water including preventing  ground  water  pollution  and  safe  use  of  contaminated  water  are  being  conducted  by CGWB periodically.
-  Since  improvement  in  ground  water  quality  can  also  be  achieved  to  some  degree  by  taking  up artificial  recharge  activities,  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  and  other  central  ministries  are  implementing several programmes towards this end, which are expected to improve the underground water table and  also  help  in  ameliorating  the  quality  of  ground  water  through  dilution  effect.  Some  of  such programmes are Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Amrut Sarovar Mission, MNREGS, PMKSY-WDC etc.
-  M/o Jal Shakti is promoting conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater and to reduce overdependence on groundwater, surface water based Major and Medium irrigation projects have been taken up in the  country  under PMKSY-AIBP scheme in collaboration with States/UTs, which is expected to provide contamination free water for irrigation purposes.
-  To tackle the salinity problem impacting agricultural productivity, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (ICAR-CSSRI), Karnal has developed sub-surface drainage  (SSD)  technology  for  reclamation  of  waterlogged  saline  black  soils  which  has  been successfully demonstrated and can be adopted by state governments.

-  The Government is taking several measures to promote sustainable agriculture in the country with a vision to discourage excessive use of chemical fertilizers and promote organic agricultural practices like  implementing  Soil  Health  Management  &  Soil  Health  Card  Schemes,  promoting  Natural Farming  through  BharatiyaPrakritik  Krishi  Paddhati  (BPKP)  programme  under  Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) etc.

(d) For  taking  up  ground  water  conservation  and  recharge  activities  in  mission  mode,  the  Government  is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019, which is an umbrella campaign under which various ground water recharge and conservation related works are being taken up in convergence with various central and state schemes. As per the information available under JSA, more than 4.82 lakh water conservation and rain water harvesting structures have been constructed/restored in Andhra Pradesh since 2021 and the total expenditure incurred through convergence is Rs. 9,292 Cr.

Further,  the  Government  is  implementing  Jal  Jeevan  Mission  with  the  ultimate  objective  of  providing  safe drinking  water  to  every  household  of  the  country,  which  is  expected  to  play  a  major  role  in  mitigating  the adverse  effects  of  ground  water  contamination  through  measures  like  regular  testing  to  identify  affected sources, tapping contamination free safe aquifers and switching over to alternative sources like surface water wherever  feasible.  As  per  the  information  available  on  the  JJM  dashboard,  it  is  seen  that  from  2019-20  to 2024-25 (up to February 2025) funds to the tune of Rs.  6,045.04 cr (both central & state share) were released and an amount of Rs. 4,209.84 cr was spent towards providing safe drinking water to around 70 lakh rural households in Andhra Pradesh.

(e) Consumption  of  contaminated  ground  water  is  known  to  cause  several  adverse  health  effects  like Arsenicosis, Fluorosis, neurological disorders, renal malfunctioning, developmental issues in children etc. In agricultural sector, the problems of salinity and alkalinity may affect soil quality, fertility and development of crop.

***

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1442  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  13.02.2025  REGARDING  'GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN ANDHRA PRADESH'.

Summary of the number and percentage of samples (Year 2023) exceeding limits for Fluoride, Nitrate, EC and Chloride for Andhra Pradesh

| Sl   | No                | of No of samples exceeding Permissible limit for mentioned parameters   | of No of samples exceeding Permissible limit for mentioned parameters   | of No of samples exceeding Permissible limit for mentioned parameters   | of No of samples exceeding Permissible limit for mentioned parameters   | of No of samples exceeding Permissible limit for mentioned parameters   |
|------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| No   | Samples Collected | F (> 1.5mg/L)                                                           | Nitrate (> 45 mg/L)                                                     | EC ( > 3000 µS/cm)                                                      | Chloride (> 1000 mg/L)                                                  | U &As                                                                   |
| 1    | 1149              | 130 (11.3%)                                                             | 270 (23.4%)                                                             | 112 (9.7%)                                                              | 40 (3.4%)                                                               | Samples Not Collected for trace element                                 |

## Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) for Andhra Pradesh

| (Total Samples: 1149)     |      |   Percentage |
|---------------------------|------|--------------|
| Low Sodium (SAR<10)       | 1063 |         92.6 |
| Medium Sodium (SAR 10-18) |   60 |          5.2 |
| High Sodium (SAR 18-26)   |   15 |          1.3 |
| Very High Sodium (SAR>26) |   11 |          0.9 |

## Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) in 2023 Andhra Pradesh

| (Total Samples: 1149) Residual Sodium Carbonate   |   No. |   Percentage |
|---------------------------------------------------|-------|--------------|
| Very Safe (RSC<1.25)                              |   758 |         66   |
| Marginally Safe (1.25-2.5)                        |   174 |         15.2 |
| Unsuitable (>2.5)                                 |   217 |         18.8 |

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1442  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  13.02.2025  REGARDING  'GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN ANDHRA PRADESH'.

Summary of the water samples exceeding permissible limit for each parameter during the last five years in Andhra Pradesh and particularly in Palnadu District

|   S No | Year   | State/ District      | No.of Samples Collected   | %of Samples showing Fluoride (>1.5mg/L)   | %of Samples showing Nitrate (>45mg/L)   | %of Samples showing EC (>3000 µS/cm)   | %of Samples showing Chloride (>1000 mg/L)   | No. of Samples Collected (for trace element analysis) **   | %of Samples showing As (>0.01mg/L)   | %of Samples showing U (>0.03mg/L)   |
|--------|--------|----------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
|      1 | 2023   | Andhra Pradesh       | 1149                      | 11.3                                      | 23.5                                    | 9.7 3.5                                | 5.7 3.2 1.8 0.0                             |                                                            |                                      |                                     |
|      2 |        | Palnadu70            |                           | 27.1                                      | 51.4                                    | 22.9                                   |                                             |                                                            |                                      |                                     |
|      3 | 2022   | Andhra Pradesh 940   |                           | 10.3                                      | 31.4                                    | 10.3                                   |                                             |                                                            |                                      |                                     |
|      4 |        | Palnadu55            |                           | 18.2                                      | 43.6                                    | 18.2                                   |                                             |                                                            |                                      |                                     |
|      5 |        | 2021*Andhra Pradesh  | 55                        | 5.5                                       | 30.9                                    | 1.8                                    |                                             |                                                            |                                      |                                     |
|      6 |        | PalnaduNot Available | PalnaduNot Available      | PalnaduNot Available                      | PalnaduNot Available                    | PalnaduNot Available                   | PalnaduNot Available                        | PalnaduNot Available                                       |                                      |                                     |
|      7 | 2019   | Andhra Pradesh       | 593                       | 8.3                                       | 32.7                                    | 14.7 4.9                               | 588                                         |                                                            | 3.9                                  | 4.9                                 |
|      8 |        | Palnadu37            |                           | 13.5                                      | 56.8                                    | 40.5 2.7                               |                                             | 37                                                         | 4                                    | 0                                   |

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