Sat Jan 11 20:40:00 UTC 2025: ## India Faces Widespread Groundwater Nitrate Contamination: CGWB Report
**New Delhi, January 12, 2025** – A new report by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) reveals a significant rise in nitrate contamination of India’s groundwater, affecting nearly 56% of the country’s districts. The number of districts with excessive nitrate levels jumped from 359 in 2017 to 440 in 2023. While the overall proportion of samples with excessive nitrates (above 45 mg/l) remains relatively unchanged since 2017 at around 20%, the increase in affected districts is alarming.
Excessive nitrates pose serious health risks, including methemoglobinemia, which reduces the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity. Environmentally, high nitrate levels contribute to harmful algal blooms in surface waters, damaging aquatic ecosystems. The report highlights Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu as states with the highest proportions of contaminated groundwater blocks. Other states with notable nitrate contamination include Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Beyond nitrates, the CGWB report also identifies fluoride, arsenic, uranium, and iron as major groundwater contaminants. Fluoride contamination is particularly concerning in Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. High uranium levels were prevalent in Rajasthan and Punjab, often linked to over-exploitation of groundwater resources.
Despite the concerning contamination levels, the CGWB reports that the overall groundwater extraction rate remains relatively stable at around 60.4% since 2009, with 73% of groundwater blocks considered “safe”. The board is expanding its monitoring network, integrating digital water level recorders to improve data collection and analysis. The CGWB aims to increase its network of groundwater observation wells from 26,000 to 40,000 in the next three years, enhancing India’s capacity to monitor groundwater dynamics.
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