New Delhi: A total of 1657 rural habitations in the country have been reported with Arsenic contamination in drinking water sources beyond the permissible limit as of March 28. The data was presented in Rajya Sabha on Monday by Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (MoS), Jal Shakti. According to the statistics presented by Patel in the Upper House, out of the 1657 habitations suffering from arsenic contamination in drinking water sources community water purification plants (CWPPs) have been installed in 521 habitations.
"Out of 1,657 rural habitations with reported Arsenic contamination beyond permissible limit in drinking water sources, CWPPs have been installed in 521 habitations to provide potable drinking water," stated Patel in a written reply. He further stated that there are 908 habitations in the country where fluoride contamination in drinking water sources is beyond the permissible level. He stated that CWPPs have been installed in 433 such habitations for providing safe drinking water.
"Similarly, out of 908 habitations reported to have Fluoride contaminations beyond permissible limits in drinking water sources, CWPPs have been installed in 433 habitations to provide potable drinking water," stated Patel. As for habitations affected with arsenic contamination in drinking water sources beyond permissible sources, West Bengal (946) topped the chart in the country. As for fluoride contamination in drinking water sources, Rajasthan occupied the top spot with 188 such habitations.
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