High nitrate level in groundwater

Nov.16,2009

Malwa Belt
High nitrate level in groundwater: Study
SP Sharma
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 15
Close on the heels of reports of presence of uranium in drinking water in the Malwa belt, alarm bells have once again been sounded by an NGO that has pointed out that there is a high level of nitrate in the groundwater in the belt.

The NGO pointed out that the consumption of polluted water makes one prone to ailments like cancer, blue-baby syndrome and Parkinson's disease.

Bangalore-based volunteer organisation, the Greenpeace, has conducted the study in three districts of Bathinda, Muktsar and Ludhiana. Doda in the Gidderbaha block of Muktsar district was the worst affected, where the level of nitrate in a groundwater sample was 601.6 milligram per litre against the prescribed level of 50 mg for safe drinking water.

Another sample from Muktsar had 110.7 mg nitrate. The water samples of Bathinda, Jagraon, Ludhiana and Gidderbaha showed alarmingly high presence of nitrate. While presence of nitrate was also found in the water samples of Phul, Payal, Raikot and Malout areas.

Preethi Herman, communications officer of the NGO, who was a member of the team that conducted the study, said farmers have contaminated the groundwater and wells in the three districts due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers.

She said studies have confirmed that drinking water or eating food contaminated with nitrate has the potential to develop cancer of digestive tract, bladder and other vital organs.

She said result of 20 per cent of water showed higher level of nitrate against the safety limit for drinking water.

The preliminary report prepared by the organisation says that all the three districts have groundwater wells that are highly polluted with nitrate and 44 per cent of the villages taken as sample have wells with pollution level higher than the safety limit for drinking water.

The report says that against the recommended application rate of about 100 kg nitrogen per hectare, farmers in these villages were found using 322 kg nitrogen per hectare in the hope of high yield of crops during the 2008-09 agriculture season. The region might be suffering from widespread nitrate pollution on its depleting groundwater.

Excess application of nitrogen fertilisers not only affects future food production by degrading soil fertility but also affects the health of the farmers and their families by polluting the drinking water.