Arsenic poisoning water in North Karnataka: CAG -Sunitha Rao R

BANGALORE: Safe drinking water for all is a common promise in the manifestos of all political parties. Yet, villagers in North Karnataka are drinking water with high arsenic content, said a Comptroller and Auditor General report released on Thursday.

Though the National Rural Drinking Water Mission looked into the issue, it made a conscious effort to keep itself away from the high-cost treatment technologies to deal with arsenic and fluoride contamination. Instead, the project suggested simple-to-use technologies for development of alternatives for arsenic. However, the recommendations weren't followed, the report pointed out.

The permissible limit of arsenic in drinking water is less than 0.05 milligram per litre. However, in the hinterlands of North Karnataka, water has higher concentration of arsenic. The CAG report said village panchayats haven't conducted periodic sample surveys of drinking water. The local self governments had not taken the task seriously, says the report.

Chronic exposure to arsenic can cause deficiency of vitamin A, leading to night-blindness and heart-related ailments. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning include headache and diarrohea, which can even cause death. Drinking water is a common source of arsenic poisoning across the world. Arsenic can also lead to malfunctioning of lungs, kidneys and liver.

Findings buried?

A senior officer in the mines and geology department said a study on drinking water was conducted by chemists at the department two years ago. "Areas in the surroundings of Raichur had high concentration of arsenic in drinking water. We submitted a report to the government, but are not sure whether the recommendations have been implemented. The research was funded by Unicef," said the officer. The high content could be because of a gold mine near Raichur, where arsenic is used as a catalyst, said a scientist at the department.

According to Dr Najeeb K Mohammed, superintending hydro-geologist from Central Ground Water Board, it's unlikely for a south Indian state to have high concentration of arsenic naturally. "The terrain here is covered by laterite soil (rusty red soil rich in iron oxides). Laterite adsorbs arsenic. Industrial effluents may be a reason for the high content of arsenic in North Karnataka," he said.

They drink contaminated water

A test check conducted by CAG officials confirmed the presence of arsenic beyond permissible limits in drinking water in 16 habitations of Raichur and Yadgir districts. The affected habitations are Deodurg, Sunnada Kallu, Lingasuguru, Kattagal, Hatti, Yalghatta, Irkal, Kurukunda, Nanjaladini and Hunnur in Raichur district, and Mandyal, Arker, Rampur, Gudihal and Bijaspur in Yadgir district.

The population of these areas has been put at over 23,766.