NGT Mandates Mitigation of Arsenic & Fluoride: Key Directions and Impact

The National Green Tribunal directs mitigation of Arsenic and Fluoride contamination—key orders, health risks, and implications for water safety in India.

Table of Contents

Context: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued strict directives to all 28 State governments and the Union Government to address the critical levels of arsenic and fluoride contamination in India’s groundwater, citing severe public health risks.

Groundwater Pollutants and Impact

Groundwater Pollutant	Regions Affected	Health Impact
Arsenic	West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh	Arsenicosis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases
Fluoride	Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan	Dental fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, Knock-knee syndrome

Directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT)

State Responsibility: All 28 states are impleaded and directed to submit detailed data on contamination levels across districts, villages, and blocks.
Central Oversight: The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) is tasked with regular monitoring of the mitigation measures adopted by the states to ensure they are effective and timely.
Remedial Technologies: The tribunal highlighted several scientific solutions suggested by the CGWA, including:
- Water Filtration Plants: Localized units for immediate relief.
- Ion-Exchange Processes: Chemical methods to remove specific ions from the water.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO): A comprehensive membrane-based purification technique.