PATNA: A latest report of the public health and engineering department (PHED) has found groundwater polluted in 30,207 village wards across the state. However, the government has installed water purification equipment in those areas and is now supplying purified water to the villagers to save them from health complications.
According to the report, there are 21,709 wards across the state where the iron content in groundwater is more than the permissible limits. Similarly, arsenic and fluoride contents in groundwater are more than the permissible limits in 4,709 and 3,789 wards, respectively. Health experts say the overload of iron, fluorosis and arsenic in water may cause severe health problems such as cancer, cirrhosis of liver, heart problems, weakening of bones, deformities, and skin lesions.
The startling facts came to light after finance minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary delivered his budget speech on the floor of the state assembly on Tuesday. According to the details given by the government, the government has now begun supplying purified water in 21,282 wards (98.28 per cent) out of total 21,709 wards where the groundwater has heavy iron content.
Similarly, pure piped water is being supplied in 98.68 percent areas (4,647 wards) having arsenic contents and 99.76 percent of the region (3,780 wards) affected with heavy fluoride contents in the groundwater.
The report says there are several arsenic-hit wards in Buxar, Bhojpur, Vaishali, Begusarai, Patna and Bhagalpur districts where piped water is reaching, while clean potable water is being supplied to several fluoride-affected wards across Munger, Nawada, West Champaran, Begusarai and Lakhisarai districts.
At the same time, the government has installed a centralized complaint redressal cell to redress problems of villagers related to potable water and even made operational a toll free number for this purpose.
According to the report of the government, till December 31, 2022, the piped water was being supplied to 82.87 lakh families settled in 55,900 wards against the government’s target of supplying piped water or “Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal” (piped water to every house) to 84.46 lakh families from 56,447 wards in the state.
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