Disposed

News Item Titled "Arsenic Found in Groundwater in 25 States Fluoride in 27 States: Gov" Appearing in Hindustan Dated 30.11.2023 vs

NGT17 Apr 2026Original Application No. 728/2023

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Natural Resource jurisprudence where the NGT, upon a newspaper report revealing arsenic and fluoride contamination in India's groundwater, examined state responses, reviewed standard remedial techniques provided by the CGWA, and directed all States and UTs to effectively implement scientifically proven mitigation measures.

What did the court decide?

Directed respondent States and UTs to effectively implement remedial measures for mitigating arsenic and fluoride contamination as suggested by CGWA, and directed CGWA to monitor their implementation.

News Item Titled "Arsenic Found in Groundwater in 25… — Environment and Pollution | NGT (2026)

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Item No.28 Court No. 1

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BEFORE THE NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL PRINCIPAL BENCH, NEW DELHI

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Original Application No. 728/2023 (IA No 38/2026, IA No 201/2025)

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News Item Titled “Arsenic Found in Groundwater In 25 States Fluoride In 27 States: Gov.” Appearing in Hindustan Dated 30.11.2023

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Versus

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State of Uttar Pradesh & Ors. Respondent(s)

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Date of hearing: 17.04.2026

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CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE PRAKASH SHRIVASTAVA, CHAIRPERSON HON’BLE DR. A. SENTHIL VEL, EXPERT MEMBER HON’BLE DR. AFROZ AHMAD, EXPERT MEMBER

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Respondents: Ms. Sunita Sharma & Mr. Hari Om Singh, Advs. for Dadra & Nagar

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Haveli and Daman & Diu

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Mr. Bhanwar Pal Singh Jadon, Ms. Gargi Chaturvedi & Ms. Anjali Sharma, Advs. for the State of UP Mr. Gigi. C. George & Ms. Neha Sharma, Advs. for CGWA Ms. K. Enatoli Sema & Mr. Chubalemla Chang, Advs. for the State of Nagaland Mr. Kaushal Gautam, AAG for the State of Uttarakhand (Through VC) Ms. Richa Kapoor & Ms. Atika Singh, Advs. for DJB Mr. Rahul Khurana, Adv. for the State of Haryana Ms. Rukhmini Bobde, Adv. for the State of Madhya Pradesh (Through VC) Mr. Vinayak Sharma, Adv. for the State of Chhattisgarh (Through VC) Ms. Prachi Mishra, Adv. for the State of Rajasthan (Through VC) Mr. Nishe Rajen Shonker & Mr. Alim Anvar, Advs. for the State of Kerala Mr. Jogy Scaria, Adv. for Kerala SPCB (Through VC) Mr. Vikas Saini, Adv. for the State of Punjab (Through VC) Mr. Pradeep Misra & Mr. Daleep Dhyani, Advs. for UPPCB Mr. Saurabh Jain, Adv. for the State of Jharkhand (Through VC) Mr. Pukhramban Ramesh Kumar, Adv. for the State of Manipur (Through VC) Mr. Shashank Bajpai, Adv. for the State of Odisha (Through VC) Mr. Darpan K.M & Mr. Rajat Jonathan Shaw, Advs. for the State of Karnataka (Through VC) Mr. Z.H. Isaac Haiding & Mr. Prang Newmai, Advs. for the State of Meghalaya

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ORDER

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This Original Application (OA) was registered based upon the

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newspaper report titled “Arsenic Found in Groundwater In 25 States Fluoride In 27 States: Gov.” published in the Business Standard dated 04.12.2023.

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The news item had disclosed about detection of Arsenic in groundwater in parts of 230 districts in 25 States and fluoride in 469 districts in 27 States. The news item is based upon the statement made by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti in Rajya Sabha. It contains the stand of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) that the contamination reported is mostly geogenic in nature and does not show significant change over the years. It further discloses that studies indicate that occurrence of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater beyond permissible limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards for human consumption in isolated pockets of various States and Union Territories.

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The Tribunal had registered the OA, Suo-Motu in view of the exercise of powers recognized by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai v. Ankita Sinha & Ors . reported in 2021 SCC Online SC 897 .

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By the order dated 20.12.2023, the Tribunal had impleaded the concerned States, Union Territories and authorities and had issued notices to them. The replies have been filed by all the concerned authorities and on the direction of the Tribunal a tabulated chart has been prepared by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) on the basis of the reports filed by the respondents indicating the number of districts, villages etc. affected by arsenic and fluoride in the States and Union Territories and the remedial steps which have been taken by them. The tabulated information of States/Union Territories, in this regard, is as under:-

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S. No.	Name of State/ UT	Num District/ abitation Samples as per re by the St	ber of Villages/H s/Wards/ affected port filed ates/UTs	Remedial steps taken by the State/UT	Paper Book Pg. No.
		Arsenic	Fluoride
1	Andhra Pradesh	7 Distt.	19 Distt.	Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Department, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh is providing safe drinking water (Arsenic and Fluoride contamination free) to all the rural habitations where Arsenic and Fluoride reported through Single Village Schemes(SVS)and Multi Village Scheme(MVS)”. All the	763-772 (reply furnished by state of AP in

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				drinking water sources of SVS and MVS schemes in these habitations are Deep tube wells in which the Arsenic concentration in ground water is less than the permissible limit of 0.0 mg/l and the fluoride concentration is less than the permissible limits (<1.5 mg./L)". RWS&S Department has tested all the ground water sources in all the said habitations ‘and found that Arsenic levels in all the sources are within the permissible limit and the Department has notified the ground water sources in which the fluoride levels are more than the permissible limits, as“Not fit for drinking purpose” with red paint and created awareness among the local public to use the water	response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20 24)
2	Assam	21 Distt.	17 Distt.	for otherpurposes and not for drinking. Both Short Term and Long Term mitigation measures have been adopted to address the problem. In order to ensure potable drinking water in Arsenic/Fluoride affected areas the following activities have been carried out/taken up: a. As a short term mitigation measure 1126 nos. community water purification plant (nano technology based) are installed or mitigation of 1075 nos. affected habitations where the responsibilities of operation and maintenance of plants are vested with the community. b. As a long term mitigation measure 391 nos. piped water supply schemes based on surface water are taken up for making provision of FHTC for safe drinking water. c. Works for 88 nos. community water purification plant (nano technology based) are taken up for short term mitigation of 80 nos. arsenic affected habitations. d. All habitations are already mitigated either by	773-776 (reply furnished by state of Assam in response to CGWA letter dated 15.03.20 24)
3	Bihar	4709 Wards	3789 Wards	short termor long term mitigation measures. Arsenic:As per report, out of 4709 Arsenic affected wards, 4684 wards have been covered with Arsenic removal plants and remaining 25 wards will be completed by July 2024. Fluoride:In case of Fluoride, Out of 3789 affected wards, 3780 wards covered with Fluoride removal plants. In addition to above, State of Bihar has further stated that “Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Government of Bihar is mandated to provide safe drinking water to all rural households of the State. For this purpose, PHED has executed various programs and schemes to assure the access of clean drinking water to all households. Earlier Hand pumps were installed at public places and in cluster of rural households to fetch safe water with Travelling a long distance. As part of the Water Quality Component, PIED is implementing Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance actions to address the issues of waterquality.	777-779 (reply furnished by state of Bihar in response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20 24)
4	Chhatti sgarh	17 Villages	169 Villages	No. of affected villages by Arsenic Total Sources Arsenic affected sources Sources closed Installed Arsenic removal plant	893-943 (reply furnished
				17 279 65 61 4 No. of affected villages by Fluoride Total Sources Fluoride affected sources Sources closed Installed Fluoride removal plant	by state of Ch’garh in
				169 1677 511 411 100	response to CGWA letter dated 30.05.20 24).
5 6	Delhi Gujarat	03 Distt. 01 Distt	06 Distt 23Distt	Filtered water being supplied to the residents in affected areas. More than 350 Multi-Village Schemes for providing surface level water are operational in State of Gujarat, which cover 15,560 villages including the areas which have been identified by CGWA to be affected by Arsenic/Fluoride contamination. In the state of Gujarat, surface level water is being supplied from various sources for drinking purpose such as Narmada Canal, Dharoi Dam, Dantiwada Dam, Ipu Dam, Raval Dam, Ozat Dam, Mahi River, Ukai Machchhu Dam, Brahmani Dam, Panam Dam & Guhai Dam to all the areas including the areas identified as contaminated by CGWA. Apart from the above, various Arsenic and Fluoride free wells have been constructed as well as a number of Arsenic/Fluoride removal plants have also been installed to reduce the impact of presence of Arsenic and Fluoride in the groundwater.	236-240 1882- 1884 Report filed by the State of Gujarat on 14.07.20 25 before Hon’ble NGT.

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7	Haryan a	0	24 Sample s in PHED sources	Arsenic:The State of Haryana there is no issue of Arsenic beyond permissible limit in the drinking water sources. Fluoride :There is issue of Fluoride in 24 samples in PHED sources, and supply from these sources have been stopped and drinking water arrangement has been made from alternate source, i.e. from canal based water works in 20 villages & in balance 4 villages from other tube wells.	782-785 (reply furnished by state of Haryana in response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20
8	Himach al Pradesh	0	0	Himachal Pradesh Ground Water Authority confirmed that the Executive Engineer, Jal Shakti Vibhag has conducted ground water sampling through M/s Eco Paryavaran Laboratories and consultants Pvt. Limited, Mohali, a NABL accredit laboratory. All the tests conducted for the ground water samples for Arsenic & Fluoride are reported to be within acceptable limit.	24) 536-685 (reply furnished by the State of HP on 30.03.20 24 before Hon’ble
9	J & K	0	0	Arsenic :No presence of Arsenic and Fluoride has been encountered in already drilled tube wells/bore wells of Jammu province till date. Habitants are provided safe water supply. Fluoride: No presence of Arsenic and Fluoride has been encountered in already drilled tube wells/bore wells of Jammu province till date. Habitants are provided safe water supply.	Tribunal. 1099- 1100 (reply furnished by UT of J&K in response to CGWA letter dated 24.05.20
10	Jharkh nad	1 Distt.	9 Distt.	In some habitations Electrolytic De- Fluoridation (EDF)/ Arsenic removal plants has been installed as short measure for providing potable water and in some habitations Functional house hold tap connection (FHTC) has been provided through single village schemes / multi village schemes. 5 nos. Of Arsenic removal plant has been installed. Arsenic: In 1 habitation Arsenic removal plant installed and other Habitations covered under Rajmahal Multi Village Scheme. Awareness programme- 1. Awareness programme has been organized in grass root level as well as district level by coloring with cross mark the affected hand pump head with red and educated people not to use the contaminated water for drinking and cooking purposes. 2. Periodic FTK Testing from grass root level functionaries are being carried by the department for preliminary test and awareness generation among villagers.	24) 1809- 1823 (Reply filed by the State of Jharkhan d before Hon’ble NGT on 12.12.20 24)
				Fluoride : Electrolytic De- Fluoridation Plant (EDF) has been installed for providing portable drinking water in 22 habitations and remaining 04 habitations covered under Mega Water Supply Schemes and Multi Village Water SulSchemes
11	Karnata ka	20 Villages	2083 Villages	ppy . Arsenic: In 20 Arsenic affected villages safe drinking water is being provided through alternate sources i.e., Multi Village Scheme (MVS)	1101- 1224 (reply
				Fluoride :	furnished by state
				Villages affected by Fluoride Covered under Multi Village Scheme Covered under RO based WPP No. of Villages covered with alternate borewell	of Karnatak a in
				sources 2083 144 1636 303	response to CGWA letter dated 30.05.20
12	Kerala	0	03 Distt. (10 villages)	Fluoride : In Kerala, Fluoride contamination in groundwater is mainly reported in certain pockets in Palakkad, Alappuzha and Malappuram Districts. The fluoride contamination is solely geogenic in nature”. Remedial Measures being Implemented by the State Groundwater Department.- It is necessary to earmark the affected areas by spatial analysis studies by the State Ground Water Department and remedial measures like provision of rain water harvesting facilities, provision of filter such as reverse osmosis plant, use of surface water for drinking purpose or alternative source of water to the people are to be taken in the affected area by concerned departmentslikeKerala	24) 786-798 (reply furnished by state of Kerala in response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20 24).

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13	Madhya Pradesh	0	0	Water Authority or Water Resources Department through the respective local Self Government Institutions. There is neither excessive Fluoride nor excessive Arsenic has been observed in groundwater levels within the State of Madhya Pradesh. The Government of Madhya Pradesh is conducting regular spot inspections on random groundwater sources within the State of Madhya Pradesh to ensure that the quality of groundwater is within the permissible limit and the same is not hazardous to the residents of Madhya Pradesh.	62-73 (Report filed before Hon’ble Tribunal on 12.02.20
14	Manipu r	1 Distt	1 Distt	Arsenic and Fluoride concentration in few of the shallow Dugwells and Tube wells were reported. However, such TW/DW have already been abandoned and not in use for the last many years.	24) 56-61 (Report filed before Hon’ble Tribunal on 14.02.20
15	Odisha	0	18 habitati ons	Fluoride: The deeper aquifers in the State are free from arsenic contamination.” Furthermore, as per Integrated Management Information System ("IMIS") report of the Jal Jeevan Mission, Deptt. of DWS, under MoJS, the number of Arsenic contaminated habitation is “Nil”. The state has taken necessary measures and abandoned the contaminated water sources and sealed them and habitations have already been covered with Community Water Purification Plants as a part of short terms measure. Further, these fluoride affected habitations are also covered with Piped Water Supply Schemes (PWS) either by Single Village Schemes or Multi Village Schemes. Initiative aimed at understanding the root causes of contamination, assessing its exent and implementing measures to prevent deterioration of ground water quality. Efforts include the following :- a. Comprehensive Water Quality Monitoring. b. Sealing the contaminated water resources. c. Alternative water sources. d. Community engagement and awareness. e. Technological interventions. f. Collaboration with stakeholders	24) 1396- 1407 (Report filed before Hon’ble Tribunal on 06.08.20 24)
16	Punjab	0	02 District s	g.Policy advocacy. Arsenic :Ground water monitoring carried out by pollution control board across 07 districts of the state of Punjab has not revealed presence of Arsenic. Monitoring of remaining 10 districts will be carried out as per frequency of National Water Monitoring Programme.	47-50 (Report filed before Hon’ble Tribunal
				Arsenic :Ground water monitoring carried out in 10 districts, Fluoride in 02 districts i.e. Bathinda and Mukisar Saheb) found beyond permissible limit i.e. 1.5 mg/l and same is due to geogenic reason. Monitoring of remaining 09 districts will be carried out as per frequency of National	on 12.02.20 24)
17	Rajasth an	0	112 villages	Water MonitoringProgramme. Arsenic affected villages in the state are Nil. Fluoride: Water supply in all of these 112 villages has been covered with CWPP. Over the period of time, as a short term measure 3453 solar energy based De Fluoridation unit in exclusive fluoride affected habitations and 4027 RO plants have been installed in multi quality affected habitations. As of now there is no habitation with Arsenic impurity and all fluoride affected habitations are covered with the surface source all with standalone CWPP.	814-818 (reply furnished by state of Rajastha n in response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20
18	Tamil Nadu	0	13 blocks	Arsenic: No presence of Arsenic in ground water in the State of T.N. FluorideAs far as Fluoride is concerned, 5 blocks in Dharmapuri and 8 blocks in Krishagiri Districts are affected by Fluoride contamination and habitations are being supplemented by Hogenakkal water supply Fluorosis mitigation project with river Cauvery as source, where supply of treated potable water to the tune of 30 Ipcd in rural areas and 50 Ipcd in urban areas is ensured since 2013.	24). 1243- 1246 (reply furnished by state of Kerala in response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20 24)
19	Telanga na	0	0	“The Govt. of Telangana has taken up ‘“Mission Bhagiratha” with an objective to provide safe drinking water on sustainable basis to all the habitations with adequate	. 819-823 (reply urnished

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				quantity and quality of water Reservoirs of Godawari and Krishna river basis) through FIITC (Functional household Tap Connections) duly integrating the existing PWS /CPWS schemes. Through Mission Bhagiratha safe drinking water is being supplied to the households duly conforming to 1S 10500-2012"	by state of Kerala to CGWB, SR vide letter dated 28.02.20
20	Tripura	0	0	The State of Tripura in their report filed before Hon’ble NGT stated that the State Government has taken matters seriously. The Public Works Department (Drinking Water and Sanitation), Govt. Of Tripura is regularly testing samples collected from all the districts of State prior to supply for drinking purpose. During last year five years (2019-2023), 915 samples collected from 08 districts of the State of the Tripura and concentration of arsenic and fluoride in all 915 samples fdbl dttblliit	24). 51-55 (Report filed before Hon’ble NGT on 08.02.20 24)
21	Uttar Pradesh	16 Distt	16 Distt.	oun eoweecaems. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission programme, supply of pure drinking water to the people of the state is being ensured through surface or ground water. Till now, under this programme, supply of pure tap water has been ensured to 2,13,97,071 (80.63%) houses out of 2,65,37,027 houses in the state. It is targeted to supply pure tap water to the remaining houses by the month of December, 2024. At the time of construction of the drinking water scheme, the drinking water obtained from it is ensured to be tested by NABL certified laboratory by 01.04.2023, information about 116 villages of 46 development blocks of 16 districts of the state affected by arsenic/fluoride in ground water was entered on LMIS by the Executive Engineer, Block Office, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Rural). Thereafter, by the concerned block offices, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Rural), all the villages of the 'said development blocks are being covered with piped drinking water scheme and pure drinking water is being supplied. At present there is zero information on IMIS regarding supply of drinking water contaminated with arsenic/fluoride in any part of the tt”	824-828 (reply furnished by state of UP in response to CGWA letter dated 15.03.20 24).
22	Uttarak hand	1 village	0	sae. Arsenic affected hand pumps in Charechi (Block Bhatwari) have been sealed. No Arsenic has not been detected in remaining locations. Fluoride:There is no presence of Fluoride in the state as per revised sampling.	1247- 1309 (reply furnished by state of Uttarakh and to
					CGWA)
23	West Bangal	8 Distt (83 blocks)	7 Distt. (43 blocks)	Asof now all the Arsenic and Fluoride affected villages of the State have been covered by either long term measures through implementation of Piped Water Supply Scheme (PWSS) or covered by Community Water purification Plants (CWPP). After implementation of piped Water Supply Scheme (PWSS) all the Arsenic affected blocks will be brought under long term solution " Arsenic : Arsenic and Iron Removal Plants Commissioned – 143 Ongoing - 47 Community Water Purification Plant installed - 1517	. 1311- 1318 (reply furnished by state of W.B. in response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20 24).
				Fluoride : CommunitWater Purification Plantinstalled- 114
24	DNH Daman &Diu	Report neit	her submit	y ted to CGWA nor available in NGT website.
25	Puduch erry	0	0	The water samples from ground water sources were tested for heavy metals and trace elements from the year 2003 onward and found to be well within permissible limits. Further stated that as per latest test reports dated 12.05.2020 of ground water samples tested in NABL accredited laboratory. The value of total Arsenic are found to be BDL (below detectable limit) 0.001 mg/l and hence can be confirmed that there is no presence of Arsenic in ground water of Puducherry.	812-813 (reply furnished by UT of Puducher ry in response to CGWA letter dated 08.03.20
26	Mahara stra	0	150 (140 location s in rural	FluorideOut of 140 locations in rural areas, no contamination was found in 5 locations during retesting, and remaining 135 Sources prohibited for drinking purpose. Further, stated that 127 locations, new sources in Jal Jeevan Mission are beingtaken.	24). 1764- 1781 (Reply filed by the State
			areas and 10	Sl. Project Y 1 Defluoridation Plant 2	e 0 of Maharas
			location s in	2 ROPhaseI 2 3 ROPhaseIII 2	0 0 htra on 13.08.20

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			urban	Total	24 before
			areas)		Hon’ble NGT)
27	Meghal aya	0	0	There was no occurrence of Arsenic & Fluoride in the state of Meghalaya.	840-848 (reply filed by the State of Meghalay a before Hon’ble NGT on 07.05.20 24).
28	Nagala nd	0	0	A total of 469 random samples were collected from 03 Districts wherein there was presence of fluoride in the ground water. Samples collected by the department found that the presence of Fluoride was under desirable limit.	1824- 1856. (reply filed by the State of Nagaland before Hon’ble NGT on 28.02.20 25).

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The above chart reveals presence of arsenic in 4709 wards and fluoride in 3789 wards in Bihar. It reveals presence of arsenic and fluoride in 16 districts each in Uttar Pradesh and 8 districts (83 blocks) and 7 districts (43 blocks) each in West Bengal. Similarly, in Karnataka in 20 villages arsenic and in 2083 villages, fluoride has been found. Thus, we find that the adequate measures are required to be taken to remediate the situation.

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The CGWA in its reply dated 06.02.2024 has disclosed the basic details concerning arsenic and fluoride and their maximum permissible limits for drinking purpose as follows:-

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“ The contamination of ground water by Arsenic and Fluoride in the country are in general geogenic in nature. Such contaminants in ground water are naturally occurring from the breakdown of rocks and soils or weathering and deposition of atmospheric particles. Their occurrence in natural water is affected by the type of rocks, climatic conditions, nature of hydrogeological strata and time of contact between rock and the circulating ground water.

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Insoluble Arsenic-bearing minerals such as arsenopyrite (FeAsS) are rapidly oxidized when exposed to atmosphere, releasing soluble arsenite [As(III)] and added to ground water. The dissolution of these Arsenic containing minerals happens in oxidizing environment and generally associated with shallow aquifers. The Arsenic contamination in Ganga-Bhagirathi alluvial tract covering parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West-Bengal are mostly confined to shallow aquifers. The excess arsenic may cause sufficient damage to human health like respiratory distress and cardiac diseases. Anaemia and leucopenia are other common effects of arsenic poisoning.

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Similarly, Fluoride is commonly found in minerals such as fluorspar, cryolite, fluorite [CaF 2 ] and fluorapatite which are constituent of primary rock types which got mobilized and introduced in to the ground water. Presence of other ions, particularly bicarbonate and calcium ions also affect the concentration of fluoride in ground water. It is well known that small amounts of fluoride (less than 1.0 mg/L) have proven to be beneficial in reducing tooth decay.. However, high concentrations such as 1.5 mg/L. of F and above have resulted in staining of tooth enamel while at still higher levels of fluoride ranging between 5.0 and 10 mg/L, further pathological changes such as stiffness of the back and difficulty in performing natural movements may take place.

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The maximum permissible limit of Arsenic for drinking purpose is 0.01 mg/L (or 10 ppb) as per BIS (Burau of Indian Standards) Drinking Water Standards (IS 10500:2012). The BIS permissible limit of Arsenic was revised from 0.05 mg/L (50 ppb) to 0.01 mg/L (10 ppb) in the ycar 2015.BIShas recommended an upper desirable limit of 1.0 mg/L of F as desirable concentration of fluoride in drinking water, which can be extended to 1.5 mg/L of F in case no alternative source of water is available. Water having fluoride concentration of more than 1.5 mg/L are not suitable for drinking purposes. ”

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As per the report of the CGWA, following are the important points while considering the mitigation of arsenic and fluoride contamination: -

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“ The following points are important while considering the mitigation of ground water contamination:

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Fluoride and Arsenic contaminations are mostly geogenic in nature and less commonly due to anthropogenic causes involving human activities such as uses of fertilizers and pesticides and due to industrial pollution.

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In case of anthropogenic contamination, mitigation may be done through by adopting proper preventive measure.

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Geogenic contamination cannot be undone as the contamination is in the aquifer which is the source of the ground water. However, it can be diluted through measures such as artificial recharge of aquifer. Conjunctive use of surface and ground water will also play an important role in ground water contaminated areas.

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When ground water sources are used for drinking and domestic purposes, it's always advisable to find alternate safe sources for supply in the ground water contaminated area. The level of fluoride in drinking water can be reduced by blending with fluoride free water.

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Identified contaminated sources or ground water utilization sources such as dug wells, bore wells, tube wells are to be marked and their utilization is to be prohibited and public should be made aware about these prohibited sources.

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There are standard scientifically proven techniques to remove the Arsenic or Fluoride from drinking water, which should only be used in case of no alternate source for ground water supply. ”

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The CGWA in its report has suggested following remedial measures

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for arsenic and fluoride:-

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“2.1 Remedial Measures for Arsenic

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(a) Precipitation processes : Adsorption, co-precipitation with hydrolysing metals such as Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ is the most common treatment technique for removing arsenic from water. Sedimentation followed by rapid sand filtration or direct filtration or microfiltration is used to remove the precipitate. To improve efficiency of this method, a prior oxidation of As (III) to As (V) is advisable. Hypochlorite and permanganate are commonly used for the oxidation.

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(b) Adsorptive processes - Adsorption on to activated alumina, activated carbon and iron/manganese oxide based or coated filter media. Adsorptive processes involve the passage of water through a contact bed where arsenic is removed by surface chemical reactions. The activated alumina-based sorptive media are being used in India. Granular ferric hydroxide is a highly effective adsorbent used for the adsorptive removal of arsenate, arsenite, from natural water.

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(c) Ion-exchange processes -This is similar to that of activated alumina, however, in this method the medium is synthetic resin of relatively well defined ion exchange capacity. In these

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processes, ions held electrostatically on the surface of a solid phase are exchanged for ions of similar charge dissolved in water. Usually, a synthetic anion exchange resin is used as a solid. Ion exchange removes only negatively charged As (V) species.

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(d) Membrane processes - This includes nano-filtration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and electrodialysis in which synthetic membranes are used for removal of many contaminants including arsenic. They remove arsenic through filtration, electric repulsion, and adsorption of arsenic-bearing compounds.

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2.2 Remedial Measures for Fluoride

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The following methods are normally used for defluoridation of contaminated water.

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(a) Adsorption and ion exchange

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This technique functions on the adsorption of fluoride ions onto the surface of an active agent such as activated alumina, red mud, bone char, brick pieces column, mud pot and natural adsorbents where fluoride is removed by ion exchange or surface chemical reaction with the solid bed matrix.

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Activated alumina : Activated alumina is a highly porous aluminium oxide exhibiting high surface area. Alumina has a high preference for fluoride compared to other anionic species, and hence is an attractive

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adsorbent. The crystal structure of alumina contains cation lattice discontinuities giving rise to localized areas of positive charge which makes it attract various anionic species. The maximum absorption capacity of activated alumina for fluoride is found to be 3.6 mg F/g of alumina.

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lon-Exchange resins : Synthetic chemicals, namely, anion and cation exchange resins have been used for fluoride removal. Some of these are Polyanion (NCL), Tulsion A - 27, Deacedite FF (IP), Amberllte IRA 400, LewatitMIH - 59, and AmberliteXE - 75. The fluoride exchange capacity of these resins depends upon the ratio of fluoride to total anions in water.

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(b)Coagulation-precipitation

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Precipitation methods are based on the addition of chemicals (coagulants and coagulant aids) and the subsequent precipitation of a sparingly soluble fluoride salt as insoluble. Fluoride removal is accomplished with separation of solids from liquid. Aluminium salts (eg. Alum), lime, Poly Aluminium Chloride, Poly Aluminium Hydroxy sulphate and Brushite are some of the frequently used materials in defluoridation by precipitation technique. The best example for this technique is the famous Nalgonda technique (NEERI).

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Nalgonda Technique (NEERI)

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Nalgonda technique involves addition of Aluminium salts, lime and bleaching powder followed by rapid mixing, locculation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection. It is opined that this technique is preferable at all levels because of the low price and ease of handling, is highly versatile and can be used in various scales from household level to community scale water supply. The Nalgonda technique can be used for raw water having fluoride concentration between 1.5 and 20 mg/L and the total dissolved solids should be <1500 mg/L, and total hardness <600 mg/L. The alkalinity of the water to be treated must be sufficient to ensure complete hydrolysis of alum added to it and to retain a minimum residual alkalinity of 1 - 2 meq/L in the treated water to achieve a pH of 6.5-8.5 in treated water.

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(c)Membrane techniques

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Reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, dialysis and electro dialysis are physical methods that have been tested for defluoridation of water. Though they are effective in removing fluoride salts from water, however, there are certain procedural disadvantages that limit their usage on a large scale. ”

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The above remedial measures are required to be duly considered and effectively implemented by all the States and Union Territories, wherein the presence of arsenic and fluoride has been found in the ground water samples in the wards, villages and districts.

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Hence, we dispose of the OA directing the respondents States and Union Territories to effectively implement the remedial measures for mitigating arsenic and fluoride contamination as suggested by the CGWA. The CGWA is directed to regularly monitor the mitigation measures adopted by the States and ensure that the remedial action suggested by the CGWA are effectively implemented by the concerned States, Union Territories and Authorities.

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The Counsel for UT of Daman and Diu submits that since cost has been deposited, therefore, I.A. No.38/2026 has become infructuous which is accordingly dismissed as withdrawn.

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All the IAs filed in this OA also stand disposed of.

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Prakash Shrivastava, CP

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Dr. A. Senthil Vel, EM

¶75

Dr. Afroz Ahmad, EM

¶76

April 17, 2026 Original Application No. 728/2023 (IA No 38/2026, IA No 201/2025) avt

¶77

News Item Titled "Arsenic Found in Groundwater in 25 States Fluoride in 27 States: Gov" Appearing in Hindustan Dated 30.11.2023 vs

Case brief

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News Item Titled "Arsenic Found in Groundwater in 25 States Fluoride in 27 States: Gov" Appearing in Hindustan Dated 30.11.2023 vs

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

What the court decided

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