Nirmal: Water, we say is the source of all life and essential for our survival. However, the purity of water in the district remains as a big  question mark due to the excessive amount of fluoride found in it.

The Rural Water Supply department which conducts tests to trace the content of fluoride in water every month has found huge amounts of fluoride mixed in it.

An alarming fact is that other than the fluoride, the grounds water levels are also getting mixed with various types of impurities which contaminate the water, making it unfit for consumption.

The people of the town are quite angry and worried as neither the government nor the departments concerned are taking any steps to minimise the fluoride content. As a result, people are suffering from back pain.

Most of the regions around Nirmal town have been found to be affected by the excess amount of fluoride content. The fluoride content in water should be less than 1.5%.

But, the surveys and tests indicated that in most of the areas, the fluoride content was found more than the required amount which, in return, poses huge risk to lives.

Areas like Nirmal, Khanapur, Dilawarpur, Sarangapur, Mamada, Lakshmanchanda mandals have fluoride content ranging from a minimum of 1.5 to 3%.

Another 39 villages around the town have been found to be very dangerous with the fluoride percentage touching almost 3 to 6 as well.

Water near the Adelli temple in Nirmal has fluoride percentage of 1.91. areas like Dilawarpur recorded 2.31% of fluoride. Hand pump sets at the kanjar village of Dilawarpur mandal have  2.5% of fluoride.

The situation was even worse when The Hans India team reached some locations where the hand pumps were recently installed with the help of the Rural Water Supply Department.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Monday, Srinivas, Deputy Executive Engineer of the RWS in Nirmal confessed that fluoride content in some areas was at an alarming level and the recent hand pumps were also found having it.

He said that they have already appealed to the people not to drink the water. Within a short time, the issue could be resolved, he added.

• Article online at http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Hans/2017-02-14/High-fluoride-content-in-water-posing-health-risks/280500