Ground Report: After arsenic, fluoride and iron, now high levels of radioactive uranium in Bihar’s groundwater

At least ten districts of Bihar have reported high levels of uranium in their groundwater, the primary source of drinking water in rural areas, which far exceeds the tolerable limit prescribed by the World Health Organization. Millions in Bihar are already facing a high disease burden due to elevated levels of arsenic, fluoride and iron in their water. Presence of uranium has multiplied their worries manifold. The state government is still yet to prepare a response plan. A ground report from Siwan, one of the affected districts.

OP Singh
| Updated: December 3rd, 2021

Supaul, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Patna, Nalanda, Nawada, Aurangabad, Gaya and Jehanabad are the 10 districts in Bihar where high levels of uranium were found in the groundwater. Photo: Yash Sachdeva/Representational

Balidih (Siwan), Bihar

Illness refuses to leave Baby Devi and her three sons who regularly suffer stomach ache, indigestion and vomiting. The doctor has informed them that the water they have been drinking all their lives has affected their livers, kidneys and the gallbladder. They have been prescribed some medicines to get rid of the pain and told to boil the water before drinking. But that is of little help.

“When water itself has become zehreela (toxic), I don’t think there’s any escape from death. I have lived enough but my sons have just begun their youth, I fear for them,” 45-year-old Baby Devi, a resident of Daraundha block’s Balidih village in Bihar’s Siwan district, told Gaon Connection. 

Also Read: “Arsenic has entered the food chain through irrigation water… it can cause cancer, mental retardation”

Nearly every family in Balidih village, which has an estimated population of about 1,500 persons, is facing the consequences of consuming water laden with uranium, a radioactive metal. Baby Devi’s neighbour, 65-year-old Doodhnath Singh, said that he was struggling with the after-effects of damaged lungs, kidneys, and liver. 

“I am fed up with the constant pain. Sometimes my chest hurts and on other days it’s a stomach ache which makes it hard for me to sleep or eat anything,” Singh said with a weak voice.

A joint research conducted by Patna-based Mahavir Cancer Institute and Research Centre and The University of Manchester has found high levels of uranium in the groundwater of ten districts in Bihar. Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water in rural Bihar.

Layers from Natural Earth and the US Department of Interior. Geochronological categorization: Q = Quaternary; N = Neocene; Jms = Jurassic; TrCs = Triassic carboniferous; Pz = Paleozoic; pC = Pre-Cambrian. BDL = below detection limit (0.01 µM for As and 0.004 µM for U). Map courtesy: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

As per this April 2020 study, the ten affected districts are located along the flow of Ganga and Gandak rivers (Gandak is a tributary of Ganga) where the levels of uranium in the groundwater exceed the tolerable limit of 30 micrograms per litre specified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Interestingly, the Bureau of Indian Standards, which sets the tolerable limits for toxins and chemicals in edibles and drinking water has not set any limit for uranium in drinking water so far.

Also Read: More than half under-5 kids in Lakhimpur Kheri stunted; groundwater heavily contaminated with arsenic

The research study titled Distribution and Geochemical Controls of Arsenic and Uranium in Groundwater-Derived Drinking Water in Bihar, India was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on April 6, 2020.

Supaul, Gopalganj, Siwan, Saran, Patna, Nalanda, Nawada, Aurangabad, Gaya and Jehanabad are the 10 districts in Bihar where high levels of uranium were found in the groundwater. 

Also Read: Unholy contamination in the holy Ganges

The team of researchers included Ashok Ghosh who is a professor at the Mahavir Cancer Institute and Research Centre, and is also the chairperson of Bihar Pollution Control Board (BPCB). 

Distribution and Geochemical Controls of Arsenic and Uranium in Groundwater-Derived Drinking Water in Bihar

“Groundwater in Bihar’s Supaul district was found to have the maximum concentration of uranium at 80 micrograms per litre. This is almost three times higher than the tolerable limit fixed by the WHO at 30 micrograms per litre,” Ghosh told Gaon Connection. “Siwan also has 50 micrograms of the radioactive element in a litre of water,” he informed.

“The research was conducted by collecting the samples from 273 locations across the state,” said Ghosh.

Also Read: Sip of death: A Kol tribe toddler and her great-grandmother dead; several villagers suffer diarrhoea due to polluted water in Mirzapur, UP

Talking about Siwan, he further stated that due to it’s higher elevation, the district was not expected to have such high levels of uranium but the incidence of 50 micrograms per litre has baffled the scientific community. 

What is uranium and how its presence in groundwater affects health?

Arun Kumar, who is a senior scientist and a colleague of Ghosh, was also a member of the team which conducted the research last year. He told Gaon Connection that the consumption of water contaminated with uranium has a serious effect on human health. 

“Uranium is a radioactive element (emits radiation). It is a dangerous element which is used for the production of energy in the nuclear reactors. Once inside the human body, it begins to accumulate in the tissues of the digestive system. It not only damages the kidney and the liver but also leads to cancer which is not treatable,” Kumar said.

“It ruins the digestive system of the affected persons which eventually leads to chronic weakness and a compromised immune system,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Ground Water Board’s report titled Uranium Occurrence in Shallow Aquifers in India published in June, 2020 mentions that  preliminary studies on the health effects of drinking uranium-tainted water among animals and humans have revealed that it causes nephritis (kidney damage). The kidney is the most sensitive organ for damage by uranium, it adds.

Also Read: ‘It is poison, not water, that comes out of the handpumps’

Samples that tested for high quantities of uranium in the area were collected from close vicinity with the Balidih village. A sample that was collected from the Siwan district headquarters is situated about 20 kilometres away from the village while the other sample taken from Daraundha block is about 7 kilometers away. According to Kumar, the water table in a radius of 50 kilometres is of the same composition. 

High levels of arsenic in the groundwater was a long-standing problem in Bihar and it was first detected in the Bhojpur district in 2003. At least 18 districts of Bihar now have high arsenic, a carcinogen, in its groundwater. Several districts are also affected by high fluoride and iron in their groundwater, which has led to an increase in the disease burden. And now the detection of uranium last year is being seen as an added burden. 

‘Uranium? Never heard it before’

Meanwhile the residents in Siwan’s Balidih village are unaware of the health risks posed by the radioactive metal in their drinking water.

“When my haalat (health condition) deteriorates the daaktar (doctor) asks me to drink ubla paani (boiled water) for a few days. But when I boil it, a safed papdi (white flake) deposits on the surface, which I remove and drink,” Doodhnath Singh, the old man who suffers from chronic pain in the chest and abdomen, told Gaon Connection. 

Also Read: Lucknow’s groundwater exploitation is 17 times more than the rate of recharge: TERI

Doodhnath Singh showing the water he has been drinking for years. Photo: OP Singh

A few metres away from Singh’s house, 62-year-old Raghav Singh echoed his neighbour’s words.

“I have never heard of this word (uranium). If there’s something dangerous in the water we drink, people should be made aware about it. Also, arrangements should be made to get an alternative supply of clean water,” he told Gaon Connection. “I have never seen any government campaign in my village which talks about ways to curb diseases caused by drinking water contaminated with uranium or arsenic,” the villager added.

Not only in Balidih, almost a kilometer away from the village lies another village Kharsara, which is reeling under the effects of drinking uranium-laced water. The April 2020 study found high levels of uranium in the groundwater of both Balidih and Kharsara villages. 

In the village, Gaon Connection found a farmer named Ashish who said that the doctors have told him that his liver was swollen and had advised him to drink packaged water or boil it before drinking.

None of the residents that Gaon Connection spoke to had ever heard the name of the cancer-causing radioactive element before. 

But why is uranium being found in groundwater?

When asked about the source of uranium contamination in Bihar’s groundwater, Arun Kumar, the researcher who was part of the team that conducted the research informed that about 500 kilometers away from Siwan lies Jharkhand’ Jaduguda where uranium is mined.

“But the distance is too much for it to reach the groundwater in Bihar’s districts. Even the scientific community is not sure about the source of uranium in Bihar’s water table,” he informed Gaon Connection.

Asked about the possible reasons behind the uranium presence in groundwater, the researcher explained that the rivers flowing in North Bihar might be carrying it from a far off location. 

“The rivers flowing in North Bihar come all the way from the Himalayas. The mountainous rocks have deposits of diverse elements. It is possible that the rivers are bringing in the uranium-laden water which is finding its way into the groundwater reserves,” he said.

“Also, it is possible that the areas where the groundwater is polluted with uranium actually contain underground deposits of the radioactive element. Finding the source of contamination is a lengthy procedure and is underway. There are no specific answers as of now ,” Kumar told Gaon Connection. 

‘No order from govt to deal with uranium’

Brahaspati Yadav, Muzaffarpur-based chemist at the state government’s Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) told Gaon Connection that so far there is no instruction from the government to tackle the crisis of uranium-laced groundwater. 

“We have received reports of the presence of uranium in the groundwater in some districts but there is no formulated response from the government as of now. We haven’t received any order to act on it yet,” Yadav said.

But talking about arsenic contamination in Bihar’s groundwater, Yadav said, “Some organisations had apprised the department about arsenic contamination and we got the samples of water from 100 locations tested. A team from the Centre was also sent here but presence of arsenic was not detected in the samples,” he told Gaon Connection.

Additionally, Yadav said that whenever such reports of water contamination surface, the PHED takes stringent action. 

“Earlier, groundwater in some cities along the banks of Ganga like Chhapra, Aarah, Bhagalpur was found to be contaminated with arsenic. We immediately installed the water treatment plant in these districts,” Yadav told Gaon Connection.

“Also, areas that lie in elevated tablelands have high presence of fluoride in water and some areas along Kosi river are affected by iron contamination in groundwater. Water treatment plants have been installed in all these areas,” he added.

Although there is no reaction from the government on the issue of uranium contamination in Bihar’s groundwater, sources in state’s health ministry told Gaon Connection that the PHED has been notified about it. 

Sources also informed that research studies by private organisations are still being completed and the government shall also conduct a study on the issue following which necessary steps will be taken.

Experts recommend mass awareness campaigns

According to Naveen Singh, director of Siwan-based Shankhnad Centre for Dialogue, Research and Resource Development, people living in rural districts of Bihar are usually daily wagers or agricultural labourers and do not have the time to worry over the groundwater quality. Mass campaigns should be organised to make them aware of the risks of drinking contaminants laden water.

“Social organisations, political parties and the government should all come together to raise mass awareness about it. And not just awareness campaigns, we should also think about a viable solution,” he told Gaon Connection.

Also Read: ‘232 Indians killed in water conflicts between 2017 and 2019’

Meanwhile, MP Sinha, convenor of a social organisation called Ahar Pyne Bachao Abhiyan, told Gaon Connection that the problem of contaminated groundwater should be dealt with at the panchayat (village council) level. 

“The panchayat should help inculcate the habit of boiling the water before drinking. I think it can relieve the crisis to some extent. Also, every district needs to have an advanced water treatment plant which can ensure that the water used for drinking is fit for human consumption,” Sinha said.

“Also, efforts should be made to replenish the groundwater in Bihar. The water table is overexploited. It is one of the reasons why impurities are getting added to the groundwater,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kumar, the researcher, told Gaon Connection that in order to get rid of uranium, water should not be boiled as it can be riskier. 

“Boiling water laced with uranium is not the right thing to do. Doctors generally advise it as boiled water is considered fit for consumption. Boiling water which has uranium can intensify its adverse effects. However, filtering the water in a sieve after boiling it can have some benefits. Ideally, only advanced water filters can get rid of uranium,” he said.

While the government awaits more studies and evidence on the presence of radioactive metal uranium in ten districts of Bihar, hundreds of thousands continue to daily sip poison.

Read this report in Hindi