Patna: Bihar State Pollution Control Board chairman A.K. Ghosh on Tuesday said a corporate-government approach will be more effective in dealing with waterborne diseases here, stressing that it was their social responsibility.

Ghosh said companies which manufacture water-purification devices should work for mass water-purification solutions as part of corporate social responsibility, going beyond the limited use of filtration technology at homes and offices.

Ghosh, who is also chairman of the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority, Bihar, said: “According to government studies, arsenic, fluoride and iron levels in groundwater and surface water is very high in certain parts of the state. So far as solution is concerned, corporate companies should also work in community filtration technology, acting as a catalyst to reduce impacts of water pollution on health.

He was speaking at a health and hygiene meet organised by a multinational electronics company here. Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi reiterated state government’s efforts, saying: “The government incurs a huge expenditure to address water contamination in parts of the state every year as the problem affects a sizeable population.”

Echoing Ghosh’s appeal for corporate efforts, he added: “Prevalence of waterborne diseases because of water pollution has emerged as a big challenge in Bihar, making efforts from both sides (government and corporate) necessary.”

Ghosh elaborated the high levels of water contaminants, responsible for many diseases. “Our studies reveal arsenic in levels some parts of the state as 1,900 milligram per meter. The standard should not exceed 10mg per meter,” he added.

*Original article online at https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/bihar/water-sos-to-corporates-245593

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