Poison in my glass?

In the 21st century, the big question facing us is, are India`s divine rivers pure enough to serve life?

Sushmita Dutta

"Ganga Cha Yamuna Chaiva Godavari Saraswati, Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Jalesmin Sannidhim Kuru" Through this Vedic hymn we request our divine rivers to purify their waters for all human kind and quench our thirst. But today, when we are in the 21st century, the big question is, are these divine rivers pure enough to serve life? This often drives me to another question: what kind of Earth are we leaving for our future generations? We are leaving an utterly depleted Earth with hardly any fresh air to breathe and pure water to drink. If air-pollution is threatening our lives, water contamination is turning out to be another issue demanding immediate attention. Incessant industrial sewage flowing into our water bodies is turning them into rivers and wells of poison. Not only are humans endangered, animals in water also face extinction. Excessive pollution has resulted in slow climate shifts. Another major threat that has been very recently discovered is the poisoning of the underground water. It has turned out to be a pollutant that is a grave threat for humans. Unorganised use of the ground water has exposed the ground water to arsenic. This arsenic content, when it enters our system, results in the slow degradation of our organs, finally culminating in multiple organ failure and death. What is arsenic, which contaminates the underground water? When water flows through arsenic-rich rocks, it gets contaminated with arsenic. Through the continents wherever arsenic-content water flows, people have been found affected with serious diseases. There are numerous sources of arsenic, Earth’s crust being the primary source. In water, arsenic is introduced by the dissolution of minerals and by soil erosion. Industrial sewage is also a major contributor in the making of arsenic in water. Some of the states majorly hit by arsenic India has been hit quite hard by this new threat. In Murshidabad (West Bengal) it took 20 years to realize that the water was highly contaminated with arsenic. But by then it was just too late. It had poisoned the lives of hundreds of families; arsenic poisoning starts with skin blotches and ends with damage of internal organs. According to reports "about 70% of the people in the district do not have access to clean and safe drinking water as the region is affected by arsenic contamination and almost 19 of the 26 blocks in the district have arsenic contamination in ground water.” 28 districts in Uttar Pradesh and 15 in Bihar have crossed the exceeding limit. They could just turn out to be the next Murshidabad if nothing is done on time. "Arsenic in ground water exceeding prescribed limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb) has been reported from some parts of 28 districts of Uttar Pradesh and 15 districts of Bihar," Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H Pala stated in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. As per report of Uttar Pradesh `Jal Nigam`, a survey of arsenic contamination of ground water in 51 districts of the state carried out with the assistance of UNICEF has revealed that some parts of 28 out of 51 districts in the state have been affected by arsenic contamination, Pala stated. Mass awareness campaigns are being organised in arsenic affected villages to raise level of awareness about the problem of arsenic contamination. Swine Flu spreads faster in arsenic exposed people A recent report has stated that H1N1 virus spreads with more rapidity between people who are exposed to arsenic. The virus tends to act very severely. An experiment on mice showed that people drinking arsenic water were much more susceptible to death by H1N1 virus. The World Health Organization says more than 50 million people are still drinking poisoned water whereas our earth covered around 2/3rd with water. We have abundance of water on our planet, but not the right stuff. It is the biggest demand of the time that we let nature get back in shape and the entire life on earth can be blessed with the pure drops of Mother Nature.....the monsoon.