Rajya Sabha: Nearly 60% of Arsenic affected habitations in India are in West Bengal

Nearly 60 per cent of Arsenic affected habitations in the country are located in West Bengal. The data was provided in the Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State (MoS) for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Joshi in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

New Delhi: Nearly 60 per cent of Arsenic affected habitations in the country are located in West Bengal. The data was provided in the Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State (MoS) for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Joshi in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

According to the statistics provided by the Union Minister 59.15 per cent (1066) of the total 1802 Arsenic affected habitations in the country are located in West Bengal as on December 9,2021.

Citing data from the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), the MoS stated that the 1066 Arsenic-affected habitations were located in seven districts of West Bengal.

Punjab occupied the second spot with 570 Arsenic affected habitations in 13 districts. Followed by Uttar Pradesh which has 107 such habitations located in 10 districts.

As for the steps taken by the Government to address the issue, the MoS said, "Under JJM, while allocating the funds to States/ UTs, 10% weightage is given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants which inter alia includes Arsenic.Under JJM, while planning for potable tap water supply to households, priority is given to quality-affected habitations."