The National Green Tribunal has sent notices to 24 states and four Union Territories concerning the issue of arsenic and fluoride presence in groundwater.
The tribunal emphasized that the existence of these metals or chemicals is “very serious” and necessitates “immediate preventive and protective measures.”
The tribunal was addressing a case in which it had taken suo motu (on its own) notice of a media report highlighting the presence of arsenic and fluoride beyond permissible levels in groundwater in various states and Union Territories.
As per a recent order, the report indicated that arsenic was identified in groundwater in parts of 230 districts across 25 states, while fluoride was discovered in certain areas of 469 districts in 27 states.
A bench consisting of Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Member A Senthil Vel noted that the Central Ground Water Authority had submitted a report acknowledging the presence of arsenic and fluoride in the mentioned districts and states.
The bench stated, “It is also acknowledged that both chemicals or metals have very serious toxic effects on the human body and health, causing health hazards.”
The tribunal pointed out that the Central Ground Water Authority, responsible for regulating groundwater, failed to take independent action, citing water as a state subject.
However, the bench mentioned that this argument had been rejected by a 1997 Supreme Court verdict and a 2022 tribunal order.
“We are surprised that after such a long time, even today, the CGWA (Central Ground Water Authority) has the audacity of shirking away from its own statutory responsibility and obligations and taking such flimsy grounds which have already been rejected by the apex court itself,” the bench remarked.
The tribunal deemed the issue of arsenic and fluoride presence in groundwater across numerous states and districts as very serious, requiring urgent preventive and protective measures from all relevant authorities.
In the matter, the tribunal identified 28 states and Union Territories, the Central Ground Water Authority, and the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change as parties or respondents.
The bench instructed, “Let notices be issued to all the above respondents,” seeking their responses within a month.
The states that received notices include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.
Notices were also sent to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, and Puducherry.
Further proceedings on the matter have been scheduled for February 15, 2024.
