Uranium Found in Groundwater of Nine Districts of Bihar

• 10 Oct 2022

Why in news?

• According to the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) report released on October 9, 2022, the amount of uranium in groundwater has been detected to be more than the prescribed limit in nine districts of Bihar.

Key Point

• The Central Ground Water Board had collected 634 groundwater samples from various districts to measure the quality of water in the state, out of which uranium was found to be more than 30 ppb in 11 samples.
• The districts where uranium was found to be more than 30 ppb are Saran, Bhabua, Khagaria, Madhepura, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Purnia, Kishanganj and Begusarai.
• Sources in the Central Ground Water Board said samples containing more than 30 ppb of uranium have been sent to Lucknow for testing. At the same time, the board has also sought help from the Geological Survey of India for this. The two institutes will find out about uranium together.
• It is known that a survey has been done earlier about uranium in the state. A study conducted by the University of Manchester and Mahavir Cancer Research Institute had found uranium in samples taken from Supaul, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Patna, Nalanda, Aurangabad, Gaya and Jehanabad.
• More than the prescribed amount of uranium going into the body can cause kidney disease. At the same time, consumption of uranium water can cause thyroid cancer, blood cancer, bone marrow depression and other serious diseases. This also puts children at risk of getting cancer.