Report by the Central Groundwater Authority in the matter of Suo Moto arsenic found in groundwater in 25 states dated November 18, 2024. When the matter was listed before the NGT, August 7, 2024, wherein CGWA stated that the reports from seven states/UTs namely Maharashtra, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Tripura, Gujarat, Odisha …
arsenic tainted well water could be killing 3,000 people each year in Bangladesh; digging some wells deeper could save 70 per cent of the victims. These are the findings of a study by geochemists from the us-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit). "Hardly any reliable data exist about the impacts …
victims of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh exuded optimism as proceedings of the case against the British Geological Survey (bgs) got underway in the uk recently. The case was filed in the year 2002 and has come up for hearing in the High Court in London (see: "Not testing the waters", …
It is a story about underground water: when the nectar turns into poison. When a daily task of drinking water from the handpump becomes the source of crippling disease and death. This is not a "natural' disaster
function openmap(){ var popurl="html/20030415_map.htm" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=650,height=500,scrollbars=yes") } Welcome to Wah india, a hazy land born of perfidy and malicious grace. Spread over territory co-extensive with 19 states in India, it is both traceable and unknown. Its physical geography, for instance, is quite virtual: Wah india keeps getting discovered; its expanding contours …
The 1970s and 1980s were a time of massive state investment in rural water development. Not only had more land to be brought under irrigation, but also drinking water supplied. These decades saw an exponential rise in the number of privately-owned pumpsets and wells, even as investment in public wells …
The official attitude towards fluoride-laced groundwater is best seen in the manner the state has gone about solutions. In a 1999 nationwide study New Delhi-based Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation (frrdf) found that "only a few laboratories in the country have specified the methodology for fluoride analysis.' Experts claim …
Human negotiation with its own capacities and actions often tends to be triumphalist. A man admires his muscled torso; an elite believes itself to be the omphalos
In a ringing endorsement of ecofriendly practices, cellular phone manufacturers signed a declaration at the Sixth Conference of Parties (cop-6) to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. Major industry players made a commitment to cooperate with the convention and other stakeholders …
Environmental groups in the US and Canada have got together and filed a suit in a federal district court in Washington DC, challenging the US' continued use of wood preservatives containing arsenic and other harmful substances. The groups say the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has "overwhelming data' on the …
Amongst the 21 countries which are affected by a high amount of arsenic in drinking water, Bangladesh and India (mainly West Bengal) are the worst affected. In Bangladesh, the arsenic level is more than 50 microgrammes per litre in 50 out of its 64 districts with a population of 104.9 …
Millions of dollars invested to test water in those parts of Bangladesh susceptible to arsenic contamination may actually have gone down the drain. More importantly, the plight of the people has worsened. These startling facts were brought to light by a recent research. With the study raising doubts about the …
victims of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh have taken the British Geological Survey (bgs) to court. They contend that bgs did not test for arsenic in the water of wells funded by a project which had partners such as the United Nations Children's Fund (unicef) and the World Bank from 1983 …
the first transgenic system for removing arsenic from the soil by using genetically modified plants is on the anvil. It could have major impact on arsenic pollution, which is a growing threat to the environment and human health worldwide. In most cases, arsenic-polluted sites have not been cleaned up because …
A group of scientists studying salinity levels in the aquifers of Haryana stumbled across a bigger problem. The team from the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (cssri) found arsenic in the groundwater of Gohana block in Sonepat district of Haryana. Worse still, the levels of the contaminant were well above …
Good for a change A common pollutant strongly impacts the behaviour of arsenic and possibly other toxic metals in some lakes, shows a research conducted by us-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nitrate pollution reacts with naturally occurring iron to create iron oxides that in turn adsorb arsenic. The result is …
The controversy about the high arsenic content in Lucknow's water has taken a new turn. The contention of M C Saxena, director, Environmental Research Laboratory, that the water contains 10,000 parts per billion (PPB) of arsenic has been refuted by an expert. Dipankar Chakraborti, an authority on arsenic and director …
A controversy seems to be brewing up in Lucknow, with the reporting of high levels of arsenic contamination in many parts of the city and government officials denying the same. Tests carried out by Environmental Research Laboratory (erl), a Lucknow-based non-governmental organisation, has shown that groundwater in many areas of …
Damodar river is in deep water. Rampant mining in the North Karanpura coalfield spread over Hazaribagh, Ranchi and Palamau district of Jharkhand is contaminating the water body. A study has found high levels of lead, arsenic, iron, cobalt, chromium and manganese in the sediments and surface water of Damodar and …
Radiation from cellular phones is a well-known risk. Now there is another type of pollution from the wireless device which has raised a wave of worry. A study conducted by Inform, an environmental research organisation, says that within three years the us will discard about 130 million cellular telephones a …
MALES are more susceptible to chronic arsenic poisoning than females, shows a recent study conducted by Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo, Kumamoto University, International Medical Centre of Japan and Niigata University of Health and Welfare. During their study, the researchers analysed the correlation between arsenic exposure and skin …
