look news india
Amidst the water crisis in India, arsenic laden water is emerging as a serious problem. More than half of the states in the country are struggling with this deadly problem, where people are unknowingly putting their health at risk by drinking arsenic laden water. Arsenic is a poisonous chemical element, which can cause fatal diseases like cancer if exposed to water for a long time.
According to researchers at A&M University School of Public Health, Texas, USA, arsenic-laden water increases the risk of kidney cancer by 6%. The study, which analyzed data from 2011 to 2019, found that arsenic exposure increased the incidence of kidney cancer by 11.2 percent. Data from around 1 lakh individuals aged 20 years and above were collected during the analysis. It revealed more than 28,000 cancer cases, many of which were directly linked to arsenic-contaminated water.
The crisis of arsenic-tainted water in India is more serious in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Assam. In West Bengal alone, about 96 lakh people are drinking contaminated water. This number is around 12 lakh in Bihar and 16 lakh in Assam.
arsenic Consumption of water contaminated with CO can cause kidney, skin, bladder and lung cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) has considered it the seventh most common cancer. Apart from this it also causes skin diseases, respiratory diseases and other serious health problems.
How to avoid?
There is a need for water treatment plants at the government level to have arsenic free water. People should be made aware that they should get quality water from hand pumps and tankers. Besides, regular cleaning and improvement of water sources is also necessary.