Uranium in Nalgonda water is above safe limit: Centre

HYDERABAD: Ministry of jal shakti on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that uranium levels in water samples in Lambapur-Peddagattu of Nalgonda district vary from 1ppb to 2,618ppb, while the prescribed safety limit is 60ppb. The data has been shared with the Telangana government. The Centre said that most sample locations with high uranium fall under cultivated land, where water is used for irrigation purpose.
Minister of state for jal shakti and social justice and empowerment, Rattan Lal Kataria, said: “Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research has collected groundwater samples from 25 private tube wells and hand pumps during the period November 2018 to July 2019 in Lambapur-Peddagattu area.Of the 25 samples, four are from hand pumps used for domestic purposes, and 21 from tube wells used for irrigation purposes. The four hand pump sample locations (from which the water is used domestic purposes) have uranium values in the range of 6ppb to 48ppb, which is below the prescribed safety limit (60ppb) by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.”
The uranium values in the balance water samples vary from 1ppb to 2,618ppb. Thirteen of the 25 water samples have uranium content less than 60ppb.
“High uranium content in the groundwater from the granitic country rock is a common occurrence in such type of terrain. Further, as per information received from department of drinking water & sanitation, the supply of safe drinking water in Lambapur-Peddagattu area of PA Pally Mandal in Nalgonda district is by surface drinking water through ‘Akkampally balancing reservoir’ under mission Bhagiratha, and the area no longer depends on groundwater sources,” said the minister.