Fluoride in water drawn from ground in the district has reached to a dangerous level. The fluoride level has jumped to almost seven times above normal in the past few years.
According to Central Ground Water Board Sources, this has come to light after recent studies and surveys by the department. It has been revealed that while the fluoride level in South-Eastern and South-West of the town has been nearing the “danger” mark, the level in some other areas has been hovering around the level which could become dangerous in the near future.
If no corrective measures are taken the above average level of fluoride in drinking water could make the residents vulnerable to fluorisis. Excess salts in water lead to ‘yellowing’ of teeth and related disorders. This has been noticed among several residents here.
Such disorders have become common in some parts of South Haryana, of which Gurgaon, Rewari and Mahendergarh are prominent. While the average level of fluoride in drinking water should be around 1.5 mg per litre, it has risen to 7 to 8 mg per litre in several parts.
According to experts one of the main causes of the problem has been the use of certain kind of raw materials by factories manufacturing steel and steel products, aluminium, bricks and coal. Such factories dispose off the waste and polluted water through boring wells, and as a result, the pollutants keep mix with the underground water. One of the sample taken from the NiT area, a few months ago has been found to be around 7.88 mg. It was between 0.5 to 4.0 in some other areas. The samples were taken from the depth of about 55 to 120 metres. Similarly the survey reports have also found presence of other ‘hard metals’ in the water used for drinking.
Although it is treated with chlorine and other chemicals, the ‘hardness’ of water is still a feature in many areas. A housewife in Sector 22 said that water was not totally fit either for drinking or washing purposes. Several residents have been depending upon ‘mineral’ water supplied by private firms.
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