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Hydrogeology
Hydrogeologically the state can be divided into three units namely consolidated
formation, semi consolidated formation and unconsolidated formation. More than 75% of
the state is underlain by unconsolidated formation comprising of clay, silt, sand, gravel,
pebble and boulders. The Bhabar belt is about 11 to 15 km wide; the tubewells yield 27 to
59 m3/hr in this zone. The Tarai zone follows immediately down slope of the Bhabar zone
where the yield of the wells ranges between 80-240 m3/hr. The flood plains follow the
Tarai in Brahmaputra valley where the shallow tubewells yield between 20-50 m3/hr and
deep tubewells between 150-240 m3/hr. In the semi consolidated formations of Cachar
district, the yield of the tubewell ranges between 50 to 100 m3/hr.
Enactment of Ground Water Bill to regulate and control the development of ground
water:
“The Assam Ground Water Bill” has been prepared by the Government of Assam to
regulate and control the development of ground water, which has been referred to Law
Department for vetting. Necessary action is being taken for finalization.
To be included.
Problem of Iron
Most of the ground water sources in Assam are found to have excess iron content.
Though excess iron does not have major health problem, but it stains and has aesthetic
problem.
To tackle the problem of excess iron generally Piped Water Supply Schemes with the
provision of aeration and filtration are proposed.
With 75 : 25 Central and State Governments share 160 Nos. of Schemes amounting to
23.75 crore have been technically cleared under the head Sub-Mission under ARWSP to
tackle the problem of iron more effectively..
Problem of Fluoride
Assam Public Health Engineering Department officials were the first to detect
fluoride in excess of permissible limit and endemic of fluorosis in May 1999 in Karbi
Anglong though the diseases were prevalent for the last twenty years. Prior to that
it was believed to exist no problem of fluoride in the North Eastern States though
sixteen other states of the country were identified as having excess fluoride and
fluorosis endemic. Intensified water quality testing and monitoring and health
survey have detected more and more areas to be fluoride and fluorosis endemic
which include some parts of Nagaon and Kamrup districts besides Karbi Anglong.
As per Indian Standards acceptable limit of fluoride in consumable water is 1.0 mg/l
while 1.5 mg/l is the cause for rejection. However, in some cases fluoride content in
water has been found to be as high as 23 mg/l.
Consumption of water having excess fluoride has been causing in certain pockets of
Assam serious health problems like
Skeletal fluorosis
Dental fluorosis
Non-skeletal manifestation
All or in a combination of the above
Problem of Arsenic
Arsenic in Assam
Recently arsenic has been detected in ground water of one block of Dhemaji district
and three blocks of Karimganj district. Water samples of Hand Pump from Majuli
riverine island of Jorhat district and Mankachar area of Dhubri district are also sent to
UNICEF, Kolkata for getting the samples tested through Atomic Absorption Photo
Spectrometer, as such instrument is not available in APHED laboratories. The detailed
position of samples tested and corresponding result are shown below:
Nos. of
Sample
Nos.of exhibiting
Sample presence of
Name of Name of Water Sample
tested / Arsenic
District Block Testing Agency
sent for more than
testing permissible
limit of 0.05
mg/l
Bengal
Engineering
20 3 College, Sivpur
(WB) on behalf of
Dhemaji Sissiborgaon UNICEF
Forensic Science
Laboratory,
10 9
Assam Guwahati -
19
Total 30 12
Bengal
Engineering
South
68 27 College, Sivpur
Karimganj
(WB) on behalf of
UNICEF
School of
Karimganj
Environmental
South
3 2 Studies, Jadavpur
Karimganj
University,
Kolkata
North
53 5 -Do-
Karimganj
Patherkandi 23 3 -Do-
Badarpur 3 Nil -Do-
Total 150 37
Majuli
Result Sent for testing to
Jorhat Riverine 10
awaited UNICEF, Kolkata
Island
Result Sent for testing to
Dhubri Mankachar 15
awaited UNICEF, Kolkata
he Water Quality Standards as set by Union Health Ministry and followed by APHED
are :-
PHYSICAL STANDARDS
Sl
Characteristics Acceptable* Cause for Rejection*
No.
CHEMICAL STANDARDS
Sl
Characteristics Acceptable* Cause for Rejection*
No.
BACTERIOLOGICAL STANDARDS
VIROLOGICAL STANDARDS
0.5 mg/l of free residual chlorine for one hour is sufficient to inactivate virus, even in
water that was originally polluted. This free chlorine residual is to be insisted in all
disinfected supplies in areas suspected of endemicity of infectious hepatities to
inactivate virus and also bacteria. 0.2 mg/l of free residual chlorine for half an hour
should be insisted for other areas.