11.08.2025

Groundwater Contamination in India

Context

The 2024 CGWB (Central Ground Water Board)  report reveals toxic contaminants in groundwater across 440+ districts, endangering millions of lives and posing a severe threat to India’s long-term water security.

Why Groundwater Matters to India

• Critical for Drinking Needs: More than 85% of rural households depend on groundwater as their main source of drinking water.
   
• Backbone of Agriculture: Around 65% of irrigation requirements are met from aquifers, making groundwater central to India’s food production.
   
• From Safe to Unsafe: Once valued for its natural filtration, groundwater is increasingly compromised by industrial effluents, farm chemicals, and naturally occurring toxins.
   
• A Silent Problem: Unlike floods or droughts, contamination is often invisible and spreads gradually, with damage that is extremely hard—or even impossible—to reverse.
   

Sources of Contamination

Human-Induced Causes

• Agricultural Runoff: Excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides leads to nitrate and phosphate seepage into aquifers.
   
• Industrial Waste: Factories release untreated waste containing lead, cadmium, mercury, and other hazardous chemicals.
   
• Sewage Infiltration: Leakage from septic tanks and untreated sewage flows into groundwater, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.
   
• Petroleum Leaks: Corrosion or damage to underground fuel storage tanks can cause petrol and diesel to seep into nearby wells.
   

Naturally Occurring (Geogenic) Causes

• Fluoride: Found in certain rock formations; worsens with over-extraction of deep aquifers.
   
• Arsenic: Naturally present in Gangetic plains aquifers but released in harmful quantities due to heavy pumping.
   
• Uranium: Present in specific geological zones; levels can rise due to the use of phosphate-based fertilisers.

Key Contaminants and Their Impact

Institutional and Policy Gaps

• Disjointed Governance: CGWB, CPCB, SPCBs, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti operate in isolation, causing overlaps and policy voids.
   
• Outdated Legal Coverage: The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 has limited provisions for groundwater, and enforcement remains weak.
   
• Poor Monitoring: Testing is infrequent, equipment is often outdated, and real-time public data is lacking.
   
• Over-Extraction: Falling water tables can draw deeper layers rich in harmful natural elements.
   
• Ineffective Waste Management: Industrial and urban waste treatment is poorly implemented, with illegal dumping going largely unpunished.
   

Recommended Interventions

Strengthen Legal and Institutional Frameworks

• Provide CGWB with legal authority to oversee both extraction and water quality.
   
• Form a National Groundwater Pollution Control Authority for integrated action.
   

Improve Detection and Early Warning

• Install real-time water quality sensors and adopt satellite monitoring.
   
• Link contamination data with health surveillance systems like HMIS and IHIP.
   

Direct Mitigation in Hotspot Areas

• Establish arsenic and fluoride treatment plants.
   
• Expand piped water supply under schemes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission.
   

Manage Industrial and Urban Waste

• Enforce Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) norms in industries.
   
• Strengthen landfill regulations to prevent leachate seepage.
   

Reform Agricultural Practices

• Encourage organic and low-chemical farming.
   
• Implement fertiliser use regulation through pricing, advisories, and awareness campaigns.
   

Promote Community Engagement

• Involve local panchayats in water testing and reporting.
   
• Run school-level awareness programs to encourage responsible water use.
   

Conclusion

Groundwater contamination in India is no longer a hidden hazard—it is a growing public health emergency. If left unaddressed, the country risks losing one of its most important natural resources to irreversible damage. Tackling the crisis demands scientific expertise, strong governance, strict regulation of polluters, and active community participation. Acting now will save lives, protect ecosystems, and secure India’s water future.