Context: The NGT has sent warnings to 24 states and four areas controlled by the Union, because they have dangerous chemicals called arsenic in their underground water.
Details about the news:
- The panel was discussing a matter that they had taken up on their own after reading a media report.
- The report showed a big issue with too much arsenic and fluoride in groundwater in some places of various states and territories.
- The report said that arsenic was found in water under the ground in 230 places across 25 states, and fluoride was also there some areas of a total count of 469 districts located throughout 27 different places.
National Green Tribunal:
- The National Green Tribunal, made in 2010, is a special court to handle environmental cases.
- Its main job is to deal with problems about the environment and disagreements.
- The Tribunal can handle issues related to enforcing nature laws, protecting natural resources and stopping or controlling pollution.
- It works based on fairness rules, not by using the methods in Civil Procedure Code.
- The Tribunal is composed of three main bodies: the Leader, the Judges and Experts. Everyone works for five years and cannot be put back in their position.
Panel survey results:
- A group with a judge named Justice Sudhir Agarwal and an expert called A Senthil Vel have recognized that metals are in groundwater.
- The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) reported that arsenic and fluoride were found in many areas of different states.
- However, it looks like the CGWA forgot its job to control groundwater. They said water is a state issue so they didn’t try anything on their own without help from others.
Arsenic:
- Arsenic, a very dangerous thing that’s found in nature and also the earth’s crust. Also groundwater from many countries have arsenic too.
- There are worries about arsenic harm from drinking water and food over time, which can cause cancer, skin problems, heart illnesses and diabetes.
- The World Health Organization suggests a tentative guideline level of 0.01 mg/l (or 10 micrograms per liter) for arsenic in drinking water, but in India they allow as much as 5 milligrams or even 50 beverage waters to have this chemical without an option to get clean water elsewhere.
Fluoride:
- Fluoride is found in small amounts in the soil, water and plants we eat.
- Most of the fluoride people eat comes from water, food and drinks made with that same water. It also includes dental items like toothpaste or mouthwash which have been added in it.
- We should remember that fluoride is very dangerous. Just a bit can cause death in grown-ups and kids.
- Drinking water with lots of fluoride for a long time can cause problems like damage to teeth and bones, kidney illnesses and joint pains.
- WHO and Indian rules say the allowed most amount of fluoride in drinking water is 1.5 ppm, with a best limit being 1.0 ppm.
Central Ground Water Authority:
- The organisation was founded in 1970 by renaming the Exploratory Tubewells Organization and merging it with the Groundwater Wing of the Geological Survey of India in 1972.
- Active workers are defined as those who have worked at least one day in the past three financial years.
- The organisation’s main role is to provide scientific expertise for the management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation, and regulation of groundwater resources in the country.
Source: Business Standard
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