Punjab groundwater crisis has taken a serious turn, with alarming new data presented in the Rajya Sabha revealing that nearly one in three water samples from the state contain uranium levels far beyond safe limits. In a written reply to MP Swati Maliwal, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti reported that 32.6% of groundwater samples tested by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in Punjab have exceeded the World Health Organization’s safe limit of 0.03 mg/L for uranium.
Toxic Cocktail Beneath the Soil
The contamination does not end with uranium. The CGWB report also highlighted unsafe concentrations of fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, and salinity:
•Fluoride: 13.8% of samples contained more than the permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L. Long-term exposure can lead to bone deformities, dental fluorosis, infertility, hypertension, and even neurotoxicity.
•Nitrate: 12.6% of 922 samples tested surpassed the safe limit of 45 mg/L. Excessive nitrate is particularly dangerous for infants, causing “blue baby syndrome” and other metabolic disorders.
•Arsenic: 4.8% of samples exceeded the dangerous limit of 0.01 mg/L. Chronic arsenic exposure is linked to cancers, skin lesions, and multi-organ damage.
•Salinity: 6.7% of samples recorded electrical conductivity levels above 3000 µS/cm, indicating salinity levels unfit for consumption or agriculture.
Contradictions Amid Achievements
Ironically, these findings come just over two years after Punjab was declared a ‘Har Ghar Jal’ state in April 2023, under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). As per official data, all 34.27 lakh rural households across 11,977 villages now have functional household tap connections. However, the quality of this water is increasingly in question.
•Root Causes: Agriculture, Industry, and Neglect
Experts point to a combination of unsustainable agricultural practices, industrial pollution, and poor waste management as major contributors to the contamination:
•Excessive use of phosphate fertilizers in Punjab’s intensive farming model has been linked to uranium leaching into groundwater.
•Discharge from thermal power plants, which use uranium as a trace element in fly ash, may also be contaminating nearby aquifers.
•Open dumping of industrial waste, especially in southern and central Punjab, has further degraded water quality.
•The lack of a robust groundwater monitoring mechanism has allowed the problem to grow unchecked over decades.
•Health Impact: Silent and Severe
Uranium, even in small quantities, can accumulate in the kidneys, leading to nephrotoxicity, impaired renal function, and increased cancer risk. In rural areas, where health infrastructure is limited and symptoms often go undiagnosed, the long-term health implications could be devastating.
Public health experts warn that children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable, and long-term exposure could lead to a generational health crisis unless immediate intervention occurs.
What Is Being Done?
The Punjab government has informed the Centre that relief measures are underway wherever contamination has been found. These include:
•Provision of alternative drinking water sources like tankers or borewells from uncontaminated zones
•Installation of reverse osmosis (RO) plants in severely affected villages
•Mapping of contaminated habitations and prioritizing them for clean water supply under JJM
However, critics argue that these steps are too limited in scope, and the implementation is often slow and uneven.
The Way Forward: Sustainable and Scientific
Punjab’s groundwater contamination crisis is not just an environmental issue it is a social and public health emergency. Experts recommend a multi-pronged approach to address the root causes:
•Reduce fertilizer and pesticide use through sustainable farming practices
•Treat and monitor industrial effluents
•Introduce district-level water quality surveillance units
•Invest in rural health infrastructure to diagnose and treat contamination-related illnesses
•Raise public awareness about safe water consumption, especially in rural belts
Without decisive policy shifts and aggressive implementation, Punjab may face not only water scarcity but also a surge in chronic illnesses, further straining its public health system.
Editor: Vaishali Verma