India’s Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024
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Source: The post India’s Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024 has been created, based on the article “Ground realities: Groundwater contamination poses serious hazards” published in “Business Standard” on 15th January 2025

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3-Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment

Context: The article discusses India’s heavy reliance on groundwater for drinking and irrigation, highlighting severe contamination issues. It explains causes like industrial waste and fertilisers, impacts on health and crops, and suggests sustainable practices, local management, and better policies for improvement.

For detailed information on Groundwater Use and Governance in India read this article here

What does the Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024 reveal?

  1. High Reliance on Groundwater: Groundwater meets 85% of rural drinking water and 62% of irrigation needs in India.
  2. Widespread Contamination:
  • 20% of groundwater samples exceeded the permissible nitrate limit.
  • 9.04% had unsafe fluoride levels.
  • 3.55% were contaminated with arsenic, especially in the Ganga-Brahmaputra floodplains.
  1. Regional Variations:
  • Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Meghalaya showed 100% compliance with water quality norms.
  • Hotspots like Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh showed severe contamination.
  • Punjab’s nitrate pollution results from excessive fertiliser use.
  1. Urban Challenges: Industrial effluents and untreated sewage worsen urban groundwater quality, leading to microbial contamination.
  2. Impact on Agriculture: Salinity in coastal regions reduces crop productivity.

For detailed information on Rising Nitrate Levels in India’s Groundwater read this article here

What are the main causes of groundwater contamination?

  1. Agricultural Chemicals: Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides leads to nitrate contamination. Punjab faces high nitrate levels due to agricultural runoff.
  2. Industrial Activities: Unregulated industrial discharge pollutes aquifers.
  3. Natural Leaching: Minerals naturally seep into groundwater, increasing contamination.
  4. Sewage and Effluents: Urban areas suffer from untreated sewage and industrial effluents.
  5. Salinity and Seawater Intrusion: Over-extraction causes salinity issues in coastal regions.

What are the Consequences of Contaminated Groundwater?

  1. Public Health Risks: Toxic substances like fluoride (9.04% samples), nitrate (20%), and arsenic (3.55%) cause serious health issues, especially in regions like the Ganga-Brahmaputra floodplains.
  2. Agricultural Impact: Contaminated water reduces crop yields and introduces harmful chemicals into the food chain. For example, coastal farmers face reduced productivity due to salinity caused by seawater intrusion.
  3. Urban Challenges: Microbial contamination from untreated sewage and industrial effluents affects urban groundwater quality.
  4. Regional Variations: Punjab’s high nitrate levels, due to fertilizer runoff, make groundwater unsafe for drinking

What solutions can improve groundwater quality?

  1. Sustainable Farming Practices: Reduce nitrate contamination by minimizing chemical fertilizer use, as seen in Punjab.
  2. Affordable Water Filtration: Provide low-cost filtration to poor households to tackle fluoride and arsenic contamination.
  3. Rainwater Harvesting: Expand Tamil Nadu’s successful rainwater harvesting model.
  4. Arsenic Mitigation: Scale up programmes like West Bengal’s arsenic-mitigation efforts.
  5. Aquifer Recharging: Recharge groundwater using treated water.
  6. Local Management: Empower gram panchayats to create water-security plans incorporating indigenous knowledge.
  7. Monitoring Systems: Set up hydrogeological monitoring networks for better data collection.
  8. Legislation: Enforce groundwater rights detached from land ownership to regulate use effectively.

Question for practice:

Examine the causes, consequences, and potential solutions for groundwater contamination in India.


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