India’s Groundwater Contamination Crisis

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

Context

• The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) highlights a disturbing rise in toxic contaminants across India’s aquifers. 

About

• India holds 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of its freshwater resources, placing enormous pressure on available water systems. 
• India depends on groundwater for about 85% of its rural drinking water needs and around 60% of irrigation water. 

Crisis of Groundwater Contamination 

• India’s aquifers show simultaneous contamination with, Arsenic, Fluoride, Nitrate, Uranium, Salinity and Heavy metals.
• Nearly 20% of samples nationwide exceed permissible limits for contaminants such as uranium, fluoride, nitrate, and arsenic.
  • North Indian states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, show alarming uranium levels in pre- and post-monsoon samples.
• Central India faces increasing fluoride and nitrate concentrations linked to agricultural intensification, while eastern states continue to struggle with arsenic pockets.

Drivers Behind the Crisis

• Agricultural Pollution: Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers leads to nitrate leaching.
  • Paddy-wheat monoculture in north India accelerates groundwater depletion, increasing heavy-metal uptake from deeper strata.
• Geogenic Contamination: Fluoride and arsenic contamination partly originate from natural geological formations, but drilling deeper borewells intensifies exposure.
• Anthropogenic Factors: Industrial effluents, untreated sewage, landfill seepage, and peri-urban waste dumping add heavy metals and toxins.
• Weak Groundwater Governance: India still follows the principle that land ownership confers groundwater ownership, enabling unrestricted extraction.
  • Fragmented institutional roles and limited monitoring hinder long-term aquifer management.

Impact of contaminated groundwater

• Public Health cost:Arsenic and fluoride exposure cause long-term skeletal, neurological, and cognitive impairments, disproportionately affecting children.
  • Fluorosis in Gujarat’s Mehsana district has reduced earning capacity and trapped families in cycles of wage loss, debt, and medical expenses.
• Impact on productivity: Heavy metals and chemical residues reduce crop yields, damage soil health, and enter the food chain.
  • Research shows that farms near polluted water bodies experience lower productivity and incomes.
• India’s Export Competitiveness: International markets increasingly demand clean, traceable, and compliant agricultural produce.
  • Instances of export rejections signal emerging risks; if contamination spreads to major crops, India’s agricultural export sector could face serious setbacks.

Government Initiatives

• Jal Shakti Abhiyan (2019): Focuses on water conservation and groundwater recharge in water-stressed districts.
• Amrit Sarovar Mission: Aims to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies per district.
• National Aquifer Mapping Program (NAQUIM): Helps delineate and understand aquifers for sustainable management.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana, was launched to improve groundwater management in priority areas with critical and overexploited blocks.

Way Ahead

• Comprehensive Policy Reforms: Establish stringent extraction limits in over-exploited zones and incentivise water-efficient agricultural practices.
• Integrated Monitoring Systems: Leverage real-time data analytics to track contamination trends and predict future risks.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Educate communities about contamination risks and promote the adoption of low-cost treatment technologies.
• Targeted Remediation: Deploy region-specific solutions such as rainwater harvesting in salinity-prone areas and phosphate reduction strategies to curb fluoride and nitrate contamination.

Source: BS