HYDERABAD: Fluorosis has emerged as a never-ending problem in the state and the country as a whole. Hydro-fluorosis, in particular has become a severe health hazard in as many as 87,000 villages in the country affecting 62 million people.

Hoping to put an end to the endemic, C Venkateswar, professor of botany and co-ordinator of environmental science, Osmania University, claimed to have developed a cost-effective technique, which he named as CV Technology, that reduces the fluoride content in ground water.

“For long people have been working on many de-fluoridation techniques. Though they have managed to reduce the content they have increased the level of the total dissolved salts (TDS) in water, which is hazardous too,” explained Venkateswar.

“As per Indian standards, the permissible amount of fluoride in human body is 1.5 ppm (particle per million) which is 1.5 mg/litre. However, today, the fluoride content in the country ranges from 1 to 25 ppm and is going upto 100 ppm. It is 50 ppm in Nalgonda area,” he said.

“CV technology will reduce the levels of fluoride in water to less than 1 ppm,” he claimed .

Throwing some light on the pH, Venkateswar said that the new technology is bound to bring the pH balance in the body. “The pH level of the treated water will be absolute 7 in the fluoride affected areas and 8.3 in normal scenarios,” he explained. The apparatus that contains a plastic filter like equipment connected to two batteries and catalyst of 2000 litres capacity is already functional in the department of Botany which can filter upto 5 thousand litres/ hour.