HYDERABAD: A substantial surge in state-wide groundwater levels across Telangana has drastically failed to translate into safe, consumable drinking water for its citizens. Despite a massive rise in the water table within 98% of monitored wells following record-breaking excess rainfall and robust artificial recharging, the latest water quality assessment report compiled by the groundwater department has exposed hazardous levels of long-lasting fluoride and nitrate contamination spanning almost all major districts.
The extensive scientific report documented shockingly elevated levels of fluoride reaching as high as 13.9 mg/l in the Mancherial district, while nitrate concentrations peaked at an alarming 697 mg/l in Nizamabad and 683 mg/l in Kamareddy. According to mandatory regulatory guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the absolute permissible limit for safe consumption is strictly capped at 1.5 mg/l for fluoride and 50 mg/l for nitrate. Furthermore, data provided by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti revealed that 28 districts in Telangana currently suffer from excess fluoride, while an astounding 32 of the state’s total 33 districts dramatically breach safe nitrate parameters. This systemic chemical saturation lists Telangana as the third-worst state in India regarding toxic nitrate pollution.
The comprehensive quality assessment, structured upon analyzing more than 2,200 groundwater samples harvested across both pre- and post-monsoon cycles, mapped severe parallel threats of fluoride, nitrate, and escalating soil salinity across the state. The worst-hit fluoride belts include Nalgonda, Rangareddy, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Hanamkonda, Jangaon, and Bhadradri Kothagudem. While the absolute baseline concentration was recorded at 0.01 mg/l in Komaram Bheem Asifabad, the extreme spike in Mancherial highlights deep geo-chemical concerns. Experts explain that while the persistent fluoride contamination is heavily linked to the underlying rocky geological matrix of Telangana—where 81% of the territory rests upon hard-rock formations like granites and gneisses—the widespread nitrate contamination is fundamentally driven by anthropogenic failures, including the unscientific over-application of chemical fertilizers, extensive agricultural runoff, leaking sewage, and untreated domestic wastewater infiltration.
Prominent environmental experts and activists have collectively sounded an alarm, emphasizing that quantity does not dictate quality. Kalpana Ramesh, the founder of the Rainwater Project, noted that the state immediately requires continuous, real-time chemical tracking of aquifers, optimized agricultural fertilizer management, and aggressive protection of primary water recharge zones. Adding to the crisis, high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) indicating extensive salinity reached a high of 4,851 mg/l in Mulugu and breached 8,000 mg/l in isolated pockets of Sangareddy, making the available water completely unpalatable.
Amidst these structural water quality struggles, agricultural authorities in the erstwhile Medak and Karimnagar districts are heavily scrambling to issue critical farm advisories due to upcoming El Niño climate warnings. Fearing imminent drought-like operational conditions and pointing to historically poor groundwater recharge variables alongside dropping reservoir levels in the Singur project, district collectors have directed administrative officials to forcefully discourage water-intensive paddy cultivation for the upcoming Kharif season. Farmers are instead being actively trained and pushed to adopt climate-resilient alternative crops, such as oil palm, pulses, millets, cotton, maize, and regional vegetables, backed by targeted seed distribution drives and updated meteorological alerts.
ലഘു വിവരണം
അമിതമായി പെയ്ത മഴ കാരണം തെലങ്കാനയിലെ 98% കിണറുകളിലും ജലനിരപ്പ് ഉയർന്നുവെങ്കിലും, ഭൂഗർഭജലത്തിൽ മാരകമായ രീതിയിൽ ഫ്ലൂറൈഡും നൈട്രേറ്റും കലർന്നിരിക്കുന്നതായി റിപ്പോർട്ട്. ലോകാരോഗ്യ സംഘടന നിശ്ചയിച്ച സുരക്ഷിത പരിധിയേക്കാൾ എത്രയോ മുകളിലാണ് സംസ്ഥാനത്തെ മിക്ക ജില്ലകളിലെയും വിഷാംശത്തിന്റെ അളവ്. നൈട്രേറ്റ് മലിനീകരണത്തിൽ ഇന്ത്യയിൽ മൂന്നാം സ്ഥാനത്താണ് തെലങ്കാന. ഇതോടൊപ്പം, എൽ നിനോ പ്രതിഭാസം കാരണം വരാനിരിക്കുന്ന വൻ വരൾച്ച മുന്നിൽക്കണ്ട് നെൽക്കൃഷി ഒഴിവാക്കി പയറുവർഗ്ഗങ്ങൾ, പാം ഓയിൽ, ചെറുധാന്യങ്ങൾ എന്നിവ കൃഷി ചെയ്യാൻ കർഷകർക്ക് കൃഷിവകുപ്പ് മുന്നറിയിപ്പ് നൽകി.
(With inputs from TNIE)
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