13-15% of groundwater samples in India contaminated with uranium: CGWB

The Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025, which was made public on Friday, has indicated that 13 to 15 per cent of the total collected water samples have uranium contamination.

Released under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Central Ground Water Board's (CGWB) report is based on around 15,000 samples collected across India in 2024.

It revealed that of the 86 monitored locations in Delhi, on several parameters, the samples exceeded Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) drinking water limits.

"Overall, the study shows that while most groundwater in India is safe, certain regions face rising uranium levels, emphasising the need for regular monitoring and local mitigation measures to protect drinking water quality and health, the report said.

It added that of the 83 total samples analysed, 24 were found to be exceeding uranium parameters, which is roughly around the range of 13.35 per cent and 15.66 per cent of the total samples collected.

In its latest report on groundwater quality, samples were collected from identified trend stations during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons to assess the impact of seasonal recharge on groundwater quality, and in both, contamination was found to be more than 30 parts per billion (PPB), the report further said.

"Spatially, northwestern India-Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, parts of Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh-emerged as the main hotspot of uranium contamination, likely due to geogenic factors, groundwater depletion, and aquifer characteristics," the CGWB in its report said.

Contamination of nitrate and fluoride levels that pose a serious risk to health has also been found in the groundwater samples. Delhi extracts approximately 125 million gallons per day (MGD) of groundwater for the city's drinking water needs.

"The citizens of Delhi have a fundamental right to know the quality of water being supplied to their homes. We demand that the DJB, which operates around 5,000 tubewells, should make public the latest water quality test reports (not older than 6 months) for all operational tubewells and ranney wells," Pankaj Kumar, an environment activist, said in his letter to Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and others.

Finding a remedy for the uranium-contaminated groundwater effectively and thoroughly has become the need of the day, the groundwater quality report added.