{"id":86909,"date":"2026-10-16T18:22:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=86909"},"modified":"2026-10-16T18:23:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:53:54","slug":"pfas-contamination-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-10-2026\/pfas-contamination-india","title":{"rendered":"Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contamination in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Health, GS3\/ Environmental Pollution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Several studies across India have detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater, surface water, sewage and seawater, raising concerns about drinking-water safety and environmental pollution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Forever Chemicals?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Forever chemicals, scientifically known as <strong>Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)<\/strong>, are a large group of synthetic chemicals containing multiple carbon-fluorine bonds.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many PFAS are highly <strong>resistant to heat, water, oil and natural degradation, <\/strong>allowing them to persist in the environment for long periods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Uses: <\/strong>They are used in <strong>non-stick cookware, water-resistant textiles, stain-resistant coatings, food packaging, firefighting foams <\/strong>and various industrial products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Concerns: <\/strong>Certain PFAS can accumulate in the human body and wildlife, and exposure to some of them has been linked to adverse health effects, including cancer.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PFAS can <strong>contaminate groundwater, surface water and soil,<\/strong> while conventional water treatment methods may not effectively remove them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges of Removing PFAS from Water<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Resistance to degradation: <\/strong>The strong carbon-fluorine bonds in many PFAS make them difficult to break down through conventional biological and chemical treatment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulatory Gaps:<\/strong> Under the current <strong>IS 10500:2012 standard<\/strong>, India enforces no specific drinking-water limits for PFAS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transformation of precursors: <\/strong>Some precursor compounds can turn into more stable PFAS during water treatment, making contamination difficult to assess.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Treatment challenges: <\/strong>Activated carbon adsorption, specialised ion exchange and reverse osmosis can remove many PFAS, but their costs, operational requirements and management of contaminated waste remain concerns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Source identification:<\/strong> PFAS may enter water from industrial discharge, sewage, landfill leachate and consumer products, making it difficult to identify the exact source of contamination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Other Causes of Water Contamination<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s aquifers show simultaneous contamination with,<strong> Arsenic, Fluoride, Nitrate, Uranium, Salinity and Heavy metals.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>North Indian states<\/strong> like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, show alarming <strong>uranium<\/strong> levels in pre- and post-monsoon samples.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central India faces increasing<strong> fluoride and nitrate concentrations <\/strong>linked to agricultural intensification, while eastern states continue to struggle with <strong>arsenic <\/strong>pockets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Drivers Behind the Crisis<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agricultural Pollution:<\/strong> Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers leads to nitrate leaching.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Paddy-wheat monoculture in north India<\/strong> accelerates groundwater depletion, increasing heavy-metal uptake from deeper strata.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Geogenic Contamination: <\/strong>Fluoride and arsenic contamination partly originate from natural geological formations, but drilling deeper borewells intensifies exposure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anthropogenic Factors: <\/strong>Industrial effluents, untreated sewage, landfill seepage, and peri-urban waste dumping add heavy metals and toxins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Groundwater Governance:<\/strong> India still follows the principle that land ownership confers groundwater ownership, enabling unrestricted extraction.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fragmented institutional roles and limited monitoring hinder long-term aquifer management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Constitutional Provisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 21 of the Constitution<\/strong> guarantees the Right to Life, which includes access to safe drinking water.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Subhas Kumar v. State of Bihar (1991):<\/strong> The Supreme Court held that the right to live under Article 21 includes the right to enjoy pollution-free water and air.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A.P. Pollution Control Board II v. Prof. M.V. Nayudu (1999):<\/strong> The court stated that access to safe drinking water is fundamental to life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 243W<\/strong> empowers Urban Local Bodies to manage water supply, sanitation, and public health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 47<\/strong> of the Indian Constitution, part of the <strong>Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)<\/strong>, directs the State to raise the level of nutrition, standard of living, and improve public health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"7596c3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7596c3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"352\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-120.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-86910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-120.png 352w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-120-282x300.png 282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 352px) 100vw, 352px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Bureau of Indian Standards <\/strong>has set up a dedicated Working Group on Emerging Contaminants and Forever Chemicals to examine and introduce regulatory limits for PFAS in drinking water.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CSIR\u2013Indian Institute of Toxicology Research<\/strong> is participating in a UNEP-funded National Implementation Plan to develop baseline data on PFAS in environmental samples and consumer products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Jal Jeevan Mission<\/strong> supports drinking-water quality monitoring and surveillance through state and union territory mechanisms, although PFAS-specific limits are not currently prescribed under IS 10500:2012.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/india-water-plants-failing-catch-pfas-forever-chemicals\/article71578901.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Several studies across India have detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater, surface water, sewage and seawater, raising concerns about drinking-water safety and environmental pollution. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What are Forever Chemicals? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Forever chemicals, scientifically known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), are a large group of synthetic chemicals containing multiple carbon-fluorine bonds. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Many PFAS are highly resistant to heat, water, oil and natural degradation, allowing them to persist in the environment for long periods. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-10-2026\/pfas-contamination-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86909"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86912,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86909\/revisions\/86912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}