Groundwater not meeting quality standard in at least Odisha 26 cities

BHUBANESWAR: Groundwater quality of at least 26 major cities and towns including Bhubaneswar does not meet drinking water specifications at many quality monitoring stations, an Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) assessment has revealed.

A comparison of ground water quality with drinking water specifications, carried out by OSPCB across 90 locations in 30 districts during April-May and October-November last year, shows parameters like pH, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, chloride, nitrate, iron, ammoncal nitrogen, lead, fluoride in quality monitoring stations of at least 26 major cities and towns do not conform to the prescribed limits.

These cities and towns are Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur,  Puri, Dhenkanal, Sukinda, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Angul, Paradip, Bhawanipatna, Paralakhemundi, Boudh, Balasore, Bhadrak, Bargarh, Deogarh, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Phulbani, Rayagada and Sonepur.Two stations at Kusumi block and Sukribating basti of Mayurbhanj also fail to meet the ground water specification in certain parameters.

The OSPCB in its letter to the Water Resources department last month informed that acceptable and permissible limit for drinking water has been prescribed under IS: 10500-2012 with subsequent amendments. As per this quality standard, the maximum lead content allowed is 0.01 miligrams per litre (mg/L) and there is no relaxation for it.

However, in Bhubaneswar the lead content, that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels, is found to be 0.018 mg/L in Khandagiri, 0.015 mg/L in Old Town-Samantarapur area, 0.11 mg/L in Kalpana-Laxmisagar area, 0.11 mg/L in Chandrasekharpur area.The lead content in Capital Hospital area and Secretariat-Governor House area stood at 0.008 mg/L and 0.006 mg/L respectively.

The lead content is also not found to be meeting the fixed parameter at monitoring stations in Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Bargarh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Berhampur, Paradip, Sukinda, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Phulbani, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sonepur.

Similarly, the pH level of drinking water measuring how acidic or basic water should be is in the range of 6.5 and 8.5. However, it has been found to be below 6.5 in Khandagiri, Kalpana-Laxmisagar and Chandrasekharpur area of the state capital during April last year. However, there was an improvement in it during the sample analysis in October.

Apart from Bhubaneswar, pH level been found not conforming to the standards in some of the stations in Dhenkanal, Sukinda, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur. The fluoride content has been found not to be meeting the standards at Kuanrpur in Balasore. The acceptable and permissible limit is 1 to 1.5 mg/L.

Similarly, iron content has also been found not meeting the standards at some of the monitoring stations in Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Phulbani, Puri and Rayagada.The OSPCB officials said the groundwater sources that do not confirm to the standards usually need to be closed. However, in the absence of any alternative source, the water needs to be treated properly for consumption.The statistics has been shared with the Water Resources department for necessary action, said one of the Board official.