Jaipur: Residents of 11 towns in Rajasthan are drinking harmful water. A report prepared by the state laboratory and referral institute of the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) revealed this shocking fact.
The report—Status Report of Drinking Water Quality in Urban Towns of Rajasthan—has categorised 235 urban towns in Rajasthan into three categories—potable, partially potable and unpotable—depending on the quality of drinking water available in these towns. The report states that 11 towns of the state have unpotable water supply, which means water is unsafe for drinking.
“Fortunately, we have not found fluoride in water of any towns or cities of the state. We did find a huge concentration of nitrate, TDS and several other metals. Our test revealed that people might develop water-borne ailments if they continue to drink water of this quality for a long time,” said HS Devenda, chief chemist of PHED.
The survey revealed that water of five towns—Bhiwadi and Kharital in Alwar district and Navalgarh, Surajgarh and Chirawa in Jhunjhunu district—has a high concentration of nitrate. Water in Govindgarh in Alwar has a high concentration of TDS (total dissolved solids). Water in Nadbai in Bharatpur, Ratangarh in Churu, and Fatehpur Shekhawati, Ramgarh Shekhawati and Losal in Sikar is contaminated on multiple parameters.
The report not only mentions the water quality but also the possible steps to improve it. “The problem of unpotable water can be solved in two ways. First, we have to switch the source of water to surface water. In case no surface water source is available nearby, we can implement community-based water purifying plant. These types of contamination in water take place because these towns rely only on ground water,” added Devenda. The report insists that all towns of the state must switch to surface water sources in the future.
In 2002, when such a survey was last done, there were only 40 towns in the state where surface water was used. Now, 89 towns consume surface water. While in 2002, 76 towns used to rely on groundwater, at present only 37 towns rely on ground water.
“The report is useful not only for PHED but even for other departments like UDH. I would request the chemists to carry out a similar survey for rural areas of Rajasthan,” said additional chief secretary PHED Subodh Agarwal, who published the report.
The report—Status Report of Drinking Water Quality in Urban Towns of Rajasthan—has categorised 235 urban towns in Rajasthan into three categories—potable, partially potable and unpotable—depending on the quality of drinking water available in these towns. The report states that 11 towns of the state have unpotable water supply, which means water is unsafe for drinking.
“Fortunately, we have not found fluoride in water of any towns or cities of the state. We did find a huge concentration of nitrate, TDS and several other metals. Our test revealed that people might develop water-borne ailments if they continue to drink water of this quality for a long time,” said HS Devenda, chief chemist of PHED.
The survey revealed that water of five towns—Bhiwadi and Kharital in Alwar district and Navalgarh, Surajgarh and Chirawa in Jhunjhunu district—has a high concentration of nitrate. Water in Govindgarh in Alwar has a high concentration of TDS (total dissolved solids). Water in Nadbai in Bharatpur, Ratangarh in Churu, and Fatehpur Shekhawati, Ramgarh Shekhawati and Losal in Sikar is contaminated on multiple parameters.
The report not only mentions the water quality but also the possible steps to improve it. “The problem of unpotable water can be solved in two ways. First, we have to switch the source of water to surface water. In case no surface water source is available nearby, we can implement community-based water purifying plant. These types of contamination in water take place because these towns rely only on ground water,” added Devenda. The report insists that all towns of the state must switch to surface water sources in the future.
In 2002, when such a survey was last done, there were only 40 towns in the state where surface water was used. Now, 89 towns consume surface water. While in 2002, 76 towns used to rely on groundwater, at present only 37 towns rely on ground water.
“The report is useful not only for PHED but even for other departments like UDH. I would request the chemists to carry out a similar survey for rural areas of Rajasthan,” said additional chief secretary PHED Subodh Agarwal, who published the report.
