Image used for representational purpose only

HYDERABAD: Hundreds of thousands living in villages and towns of India could be consuming uranium-poisoned water, and are at grave health risk, scientists, and officials said.

Farmers in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana , Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra are using high uranium concentration groundwater, beyond Atomic Energy Regulatory Board ’s permissible limits.

Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) that has been under attack from scientists and activists, claims that research have shown several geographical regions in the country like Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh , Chitrial in Telangana have high concentrations of uranium occurring naturally under the earth.

UCIL says by digging deep borewells in these high uranium concentration areas, the farmers are bringing up water high uranium levels. Uranium has a long-standing health impact, first affecting the kidneys adversely if inhaled or consumed in water.

“Uranium occurs naturally in several valence states. State of uranium changes when the water gets in contact with oxygen after the groundwater is brought up. Tests done in borewells found that uranium levels are high in several areas in Andhra and Telangana,” UCIL chairman and managing director C K Asnani said.

In Kadapa, the uranium levels are 3 to 9120 ppb (parts per billion) whereas AERB permissible limits are 60 ppb.

