Patna, Apr 19: Alarmed over the presence of excess fluoride in drinking water in six districts of Bihar, the state government has decided to chalk out an action plan for fluoride mitigation.

Speaking at a workshop on “effects of excess fluoride in drinking water and the mitigation measures” jointly organised by Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) and UNICEF here today, PHED minister Prem Kumar said six districts had been found to have fluoride content above the permissible limit of 1mg per litre and urgent measures were required to ensure supply of fluoride-free water to the people.

The six districts are Gaya, Nawada, Munger, Rohtas, Jamui and Bhagalpur.

The minister said improving water quality was a priority of the state government as clean water and environment were closely related with health.

Kumar said that in the past water samples in some areas of 11 districts had tested positive for arsenic and the state government had already launched measures for mitigation of arsenic content with the support of the UNICEF.

“I am not hopeful but confident we will succeed in providing safe drinking water to the people of the state,” the minister said.

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