Seven districts flagged for high nitrate content

MUMBAI: The nitrate content in the groundwater in seven districts of Maharashtra is higher than the permissible limit, raising concerns about health risks. These details have surfaced just two months after the sudden and rapid hair loss experienced by more than a hundred residents of villages in Buldhana in January. The phenomenon is suspected to be linked to nitrate pollution in the water, although there is no confirmation of the causes as yet.

The unusually high nitrate content in the seven districts was revealed by groundwater surveys conducted by state and central government agencies. These surveys, independent of the Buldhana hair loss phenomenon, have flagged Buldhana, Wardha, Amaravati, Nanded, Beed, Jalgaon and Yavatmal. According to the survey reports, excessive use of fertilisers, pesticides and lack of treatment of industrial effluents and sewage are the main reasons for the high nitrate content.

According to Dr Deepak Baid, a Mumbai-based physician, high levels of nitrate in water can be very hazardous for the human body. “It causes thyroid problems, stomach problems, and can impact pregnant women. Also, it could cause ‘blue baby syndrome’, where an infant’s lips turn blue when the nitrate reacts with the haemoglobin in the blood.”

Details on nitrate pollution in the state’s seven districts emerged after members of the legislative council, Milind Narvekar, Sunil Shinde and Pradnya Satav, raised the issue in the house on Friday. In a written reply, the state water supply department said the permissible limit for nitrate is 45 mg/litre. However, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) had examined 431 samples in, Buldhana, Wardha, Amaravati, Nanded, Beed, Jalgaon and Yavatmal, and found 219 samples with high nitrate content.

In addition, the state’s Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) examined 29,414 water samples from these seven districts, and found that 3,498 samples contained nitrate beyond the permissible limit, according to a written reply submitted by water supply minister Gulabrao Patil.

Nanded had the highest nitrate content (2,190 samples of a total 3,877), while Beed had only one sample whose content was higher than permitted, of a total 5,219 samples collected for examination.

Water bodies where nitrate content is high have been marked by sign boards, which state: ‘Water not good for drinking purposes’. An initiative has also been launched to clean and purify these water sources, said the water supply department. It added that reports from regional offices state that excessive use of chemical fertilisers, high doses of pesticides for crops, and industrial and urban effluents and sewage released into water bodies are contributing to nitrate pollution.

Meanwhile, the government is still waiting for a report to be submitted by central agencies that investigated the sudden and rapid hair loss suffered by more than a hundred villagers in Buldhana district in January. The phenomenon made national headlines for its widespread and baffling nature, creating panic among villagers, whose hair suddenly started to fall in clumps. Experts suspect that nitrate pollution in Buldhana had caused the abnormal hair loss. The government said it was awaiting the report while answering questions on the issue in the legislative council earlier this week.