After new government report on ‘excess fluoride’ in Sonbhadra’s groundwater, its residents say they are getting sicker

He says the doctors told him the water from his borewell, which he installed in 2002 after years of drinking water from a well nearby, worsened his condition.

It’s a story that finds an echo in villages across Sonbhadra, UP’s second-largest district, where rich deposits of granite, an igneous rock, have leached “excess” fluoride into the groundwater, making it unfit for human consumption. It’s a problem that the government has taken note of, most recently in a March report by the state water authority, the Jal Nigam.

Vijay Kumar Sharma, a resident of Padarach village, has been bedridden for over 10 years due to fluorosis. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)

Mahendra Singh, the Executive Engineer at the Jal Nigam, Sonbhadra, who was recently transferred to Lucknow, told The Indian Express that the report confirmed the presence of “excessive” fluoride in the groundwater in 120 hamlets, home to nearly 2 lakh people, across the district.

Another Jal Nigam official says, “Fluoride levels in these 12 villages exceeded the safe limit of 1-1.5 mg/L, with some recording 2 mg/L or more. Drinking the groundwater there is a public health risk. The groundwater in some parts of Sonbhadra is also contaminated with excessive iron and arsenic, further worsening the water quality.”

Fluorosis and its symptoms

Confirming Vijay Kumar’s fluorosis diagnosis, Sonbhadra Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ashwani Kumar says, “Fluorosis is not fatal. In the elderly, it can cause joint pain, stiffness, bone deformities, mobility issues, muscle weakness and fatigue. In children, the most common sign is yellow stains on the teeth.”

The issue of excess fluoride in Sonbhadra’s groundwater was first discovered in 2013, when a sample from Padarach village was sent off for testing after multiple residents complained of health issues.

The most common sign of fluorosis in children is yellow stains on the teeth. Seen here, the children at Padarach village. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)

After the Jal Nigam report was released, District Magistrate (DM) Badrinath Singh had visited Padarach village in the first week of March itself to assess the situation. His visit was followed by the administration arranging for the supply of treated water from the Songanga, located about a kilometre from the village, to meet the hamlet’s drinking water needs.

Krishna Murari Sharma, 32, a resident of Padarach village who cannot walk without sticks, says, “We had a pipeline, but there was no water. We have started getting water for 30 minutes daily since March 7 (after the DM’s visit). Since there is no fixed time for water supply, we take shifts to keep a watch on the tap.”

The administration has also made arrangements to supply treated surface water to the affected villages via over 800 tankers.

Rahul Yadav, Additional District Magistrate, Sonbhadra, says the locals have been asked to use tanker water for drinking. “For other works like irrigation and cleaning, we have asked them to continue using the groundwater,” he says.

Schemes to provide water

Before the launch of the Har Ghar Jal Yojana, under the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, schemes to provide treated water to the public were launched by the Jal Nigam in 2012-13, says DM Badrinath Singh.

Meanwhile, administration officials say steps have been taken since 2013 to supply potable water to Padarach village after the contamination was first discovered. They said plans were also made to supply treated surface water from rivers, lakes, and ponds.

The nearly dry Songanga river is the only source of drinking water in the area. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)

“Small-scale water treatment plants were handed over to gram sabhas or panchayats for operations. However, the machines developed faults over time. Lack of technical expertise meant they could not be repaired, leading to the plants shutting down. Although a pipeline was laid in Padarach village, the water supply never started,” says a district administration official.

When the Prime Minister launched the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, the same thing was done on a large scale. A detailed study on the district’s water sources was conducted, following which 12 schemes were prepared to provide clean water to the locals, says the DM.

Jal Nigam’s Mahendra Singh says, “Ten of these (12) schemes are operational. The remaining are expected to start in a few months. We also started installation of water pipelines in 2021. Some work is still pending.”

Of 120 affected hamlets, only a few are currently receiving clean drinking water since the Jal Nigam report was released in March. He says the remaining hamlets are expected to start receiving water within “two-three months”.

Stating that nearly 13,000 km of pipelines had been installed across Sonbhadra district, Mahendra Singh adds, “Installing water pipelines took longer than expected due to the distance between villages.”

The district administration has also decided to make water testing a regular feature. At the village level, Jal Sakhis, a group of five trained women, test water samples using the kits provided by the Jal Nigam and upload the results on a mobile application, said an officer, adding that these results act as a guide for district-level teams.

Called the ‘energy capital of India’, Sonbhadra shares its borders with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Officials said five sectors in the district — Dudhi, Myorpur, Babhani, Kone and Chopan — are especially rich in granite deposits.

Located around 50 km from the district headquarters, Padarach village, which has 300 residents, is among the worst-hit by fluorosis. Most village residents, who live in houses made of mud, are engaged in farming. The locals say they still depend on borewells and hand pumps to meet their potable water needs.

The locals say they have been advised to avoid boiling groundwater since “boiling increases fluoride concentration”. They say they have also been encouraged to consume lemon and tamarind regularly to reduce the impact of fluoride on their body.

The administration has started water tanker supply in some of the affected villages. (Express Photo/Vishal Srivastav)

Stating that he suffers from fluorosis, Ram Kumar, 45, says he struggles to walk without a stick. “My condition is worsening, but I am more worried about the children. All children in the village have yellow teeth. I don’t know what health issues they will face in the future,” he says.

Meanwhile, in a nearby village

Nearly 45 km from Padarach village lies Kudwa village, in Kon block, near the Uttar Pradesh-Jharkhand border. Just like the residents of Padarach village, many in Kudwa too suffer from mobility and dexterity issues, besides persistent muscle pain.

A “weakened” backbone since the last 10 years has meant that Sharifa Devi, 55, a member of the Scheduled Tribes, cannot sit up for long without support.

Lying on a cot outside her mud house, located just 3 km from the Jharkhand border, Sharifa says, “Water from the hand pump is responsible for my condition. My husband too struggles to move.”

Like her, others in the village too suffer from health issues. Struggling to walk, Kanhai Singh, 50, claimed that “nearly 40%” of the village’s 10,000 residents suffer from fluorosis.

Kudwa pradhan Sujeet Yadav says all the residents have been worried since they learnt about the water contamination.

The same concern is etched on the face of Amresh Yadav, the husband of Padarach pradhan Soni Devi. He says, “We were first promised clean water in 2013. Then, the incumbent BJP government promised to supply clean drinking water to our homes. Though we have been getting water for 30 minutes daily since the DM’s visit, it is insufficient. I’m afraid the government’s pipeline project will remain incomplete, forcing us to rely on groundwater once again.”