It’s a wake–up call for the people of Guwahati. High fluoride contamination in water has been detected in some parts of the city, raising health concerns among residents, especially those in the high risk zones like Bonda and Lal Ganesh. Dr Mahidhar Pathak of EREC India Research Laboratory said tests were today conducted in ten random samples of water collected from households at Lal Ganesh area. “Two of them had abnormally high content of fluoride. The fluoride content is 30 per cent above the permissible quantity,” Pathak said. “The tests are not over yet. Arsenic tests will be completed by tomorrow,” he said. While some blame the problem on industrial waste, scientists also say that the source of fluoride and nitrate are minerals from the Precambrian granite, which forms the basement of the city and also outcrops at several places in the city. Prolonged consumption of fluoride–contaminated water causes health disorders like dental fluorosis, soft tissue infestation and premature ageing. “One may suffer from tooth decay, weak nails and other skin diseases,” Dr Pathak said. Today’s was the sixth such camp organized in the city to test the water being used at the households. The programme is being organized by the BJP’s Antyodaya Cell. “We have conducted such camps at other city localities as well. A total of twenty camps will be conducted. In the six camps conducted so far we have found that that 80 per cent of the city water is not fit for drinking. Either there is hardness, high iron content or other such contaminations,” the cell’s co–convenor Uttam Bhattacharjee said. In the Bonda area, of the thirty samples tested, three had high arsenic content and four had high fluoride content. With little efforts being made by the State government to deal with the problem, EREC India Research Laboratory plans to conduct camps to educate people as to how to treat the water at home to make it safe for drinking.