Second of four groundwater tests done annually to be held in State soon

Tests for uranium contamination in groundwater are set to become a part of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) inspections in the State.

This is part of a nationwide exercise launched after uranium contamination was detected in water samples from aquifers elsewhere in the country, V. Kunhambu, director, CGWB Kerala Region, said here on Wednesday.

The second of four groundwater tests conducted annually in the State by the CGWB is set to begin in a day or two where it will maintain a lookout for uranium alongside routinely checked ground water quality parameters, he said.

“Uranium has not been reported in groundwater in Kerala. But we have included it in our tests here after its detection in other parts of the country,” Mr. Kunhambu said.

Monitoring wells

CGWB, which maintains 1,688 monitoring wells in the State, inspects groundwater levels four times in a year – in January, April, August and November. Once a year, groundwater samples also are tested. The April tests will look at both.

Generally, CGWB scans water samples for sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, fluoride, nitrate, phosphate, chloride, arsenic, boron, radon, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids. These tests are conducted by CGWB. For ascertaining whether uranium is present, samples will be sent to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai.

Elevated levels of uranium in ground water can be hazardous to health. While the element itself is geogenic, human intervention such as rampant groundwater exploitation aggravates the problem.

Last year, a study published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters had warned of widespread uranium contamination in groundwater in a number of Indian States where safety levels were higher than WHO parameters.