Alarming levels of uranium have been traced in Chhattisgarh’s drinking water supplies, particularly in six districts. This certainly exceeds the limit posed by the World Health Organization at 15 micrograms per liter by three to four times and overshoots the permissible limit of the Indian government, which is 30 micrograms per liter. This builds up a highly critical scenario of health hazards, increasing cancer, pulmonary ailments, and kidney diseases.
A recent study revealed that uranium levels exceeded 100 micrograms per liter in Durg, Rajnandgaon, Kanker, Bemetara, Balod, and Kawardha. A Balod sample gave as high as 130 micrograms per liter. The average levels ranged between 86 and 105 micrograms per liter across the districts.
The state’s Public Health Emergency Department confirmed initial samples from a 25-year-old borewell in Devtarai village, Balod. An aggrieved village chief, Daneshwar Sinha, said, “The village gets water from this source only.” A second borewell has since been opened, but it is yet to be ascertained if its water is fit to drink.
Groundwater contamination caused by uranium has been a lingering problem in India. In a report, the Central Groundwater Board showed levels above permissible limits in 12 states, including Punjab and Haryana. Concerns have also cropped up in Bihar and Karnataka.
Local researchers in Chhattisgarh seem to have discovered a solution. According to Poonam Deshmukh of the Bhilai Institute of Technology, uranium can be filtered out using the bark of the gooseberry or amla tree. The patented method was reported in Groundwater for Sustainable Development and has yet to be scaled to actual application. This contamination needs to be addressed without further delay, considering the known deposits of uranium in Chhattisgarh.
