Patna, The Bihar government on Thursday informed the assembly that it is initiating measures to deal with the problem of arsenic in groundwater in several parts of the state.
The step has been taken after arsenic was found in vegetables and other agricultural products in certain districts of the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, who also holds the agriculture portfolio, said a high-level meeting of the departments concerned has been called to assess the situation.
The matter is also being discussed with the officials of the Public Health and Engineering , Health and Minor Water Resources departments, he said.
While replying to a question raised during Question Hour in the assembly, Sinha said, “The use of arsenic contaminated groundwater has caused concentration of arsenic in leafy vegetables, root vegetables including potatoes and other agricultural produces in certain districts in the state.”
The arsenic concentration has been found 0.1 mg per kg in leafy vegetables, 0.3 mg/per kg in root vegetables, including potatoes and 1.0 mg per kg in paddy crops, he said.
According to the latest report of the state’s Public Health Engineering Department , which was recently tabled in the assembly, 26 per cent of rural wards in 31 districts, out of the total 38, groundwater sources are affected by arsenic, fluoride and iron contamination beyond permissible limit.
The latest report of the Bihar Economic Survey , also highlighted the presence of arsenic in groundwater beyond permissible limits in 4,709 rural wards, fluoride in 3,789 wards and iron in 21,709 wards.
“We are aware of the fact … .sensing the gravity of the situation, the state government has decided to make rural Bihar ‘hand pump-free’ and provide safe drinking water to people in the rural areas of the state under the ‘Har Ghar Nal ka Jal’ scheme’. All rural areas in Bihar will soon be made ‘hand pump-free’,” Bihar PHED minister Niraj Kumar Singh had told PTI earlier.
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