• Extensive pesticide residues detected in groundwater and river water of arsenic
contaminated lower Gangetic basin.
• Malathion in the predominant detected pesticide, with concentrations up to 46
times higher than the permissible limit.
• Naphthalene and phenanthrene were the predominantly detected PAHs, mostly
delineated in urban and peri-urban areas.
• Pesticides and PAHs detected in agricultural and rural areas are distinct form
urban settings.
• Around 50% of the population—about 20 million people—are exposed to
hazardous concentrations of pesticides and PAHs.
(c) Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
A private laboratory has confirmed the presence of hexavalent chromium, a
cancer-causing element that also affects the liver and kidneys in groundwater of
Rajnagar area of Ghaziabad, U.P. In late 2019, several residents found the tap water
to be of yellow color, following which they got the water tested from a private
laboratory, which confirmed the presence of this deadly element. Subsequently, the
Rajnagar Resident Welfare Association (RWA) wrote to the District Magistrate and
to the UP Pollution Control Board. Meerut industrial area, close to Rajanagar has
several chrome plating units.
25
8 Is Water Safe to Drink?
Monitoring of water quality is thus a growing challenge because of the increasing
number of chemicals used in our lives, agriculture and industry. In a country where
groundwater is the major source of drinking water, health-related issues are cause
for concern. In some cases, over-extraction of groundwater has led to tapping of
aquifers containing fluoride and arsenic.
The Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS is a national standard body established
for standardization, marking and quality certification of goods. In case of drinking
water, the standard to be adopted is the BIS code IS: 10500 (2012).
This code includes a complex set of parameters such as color, taste, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, inorganic elements from aluminum to zinc, toxic
substances such as cadmium, cyanide, lead and mercury, pesticides and other
organic compounds, radioactive substances, E. coli and other biological contamination, and more. The code mentions a list of 64 items on which the drinking water
has to comply on. While this is a long list, so is the list of pollutants and
25
https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/civic-issues/article/ghaziabad-residents-live-in-fearas-cancer-causing-element-contaminates-groundwater/546882. Last accessed on Jan 15, 2020.
Tackling Water Quality Issues
87
contaminated lower Gangetic basin.
• Malathion in the predominant detected pesticide, with concentrations up to 46
times higher than the permissible limit.
• Naphthalene and phenanthrene were the predominantly detected PAHs, mostly
delineated in urban and peri-urban areas.
• Pesticides and PAHs detected in agricultural and rural areas are distinct form
urban settings.
• Around 50% of the population—about 20 million people—are exposed to
hazardous concentrations of pesticides and PAHs.
(c) Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
A private laboratory has confirmed the presence of hexavalent chromium, a
cancer-causing element that also affects the liver and kidneys in groundwater of
Rajnagar area of Ghaziabad, U.P. In late 2019, several residents found the tap water
to be of yellow color, following which they got the water tested from a private
laboratory, which confirmed the presence of this deadly element. Subsequently, the
Rajnagar Resident Welfare Association (RWA) wrote to the District Magistrate and
to the UP Pollution Control Board. Meerut industrial area, close to Rajanagar has
several chrome plating units.
25
8 Is Water Safe to Drink?
Monitoring of water quality is thus a growing challenge because of the increasing
number of chemicals used in our lives, agriculture and industry. In a country where
groundwater is the major source of drinking water, health-related issues are cause
for concern. In some cases, over-extraction of groundwater has led to tapping of
aquifers containing fluoride and arsenic.
The Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS is a national standard body established
for standardization, marking and quality certification of goods. In case of drinking
water, the standard to be adopted is the BIS code IS: 10500 (2012).
This code includes a complex set of parameters such as color, taste, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, inorganic elements from aluminum to zinc, toxic
substances such as cadmium, cyanide, lead and mercury, pesticides and other
organic compounds, radioactive substances, E. coli and other biological contamination, and more. The code mentions a list of 64 items on which the drinking water
has to comply on. While this is a long list, so is the list of pollutants and
25
https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/civic-issues/article/ghaziabad-residents-live-in-fearas-cancer-causing-element-contaminates-groundwater/546882. Last accessed on Jan 15, 2020.
Tackling Water Quality Issues
87