Top Arsenic Affected States of India

The largest number of arsenic affected people in India is found in West Bengal where 83 blocks in 8 districts have groundwater contaminated by Arsenic.  As of March 2017, total number of arsenic-affected people in the country is about 1.48 crore. Of these, 1.04 crore arsenic affected people live in West Bengal.  Second and Third slot belongs to Bihar and Assam.

What is the maximum permissible limit of Arsenic in Ground water as per WHO?

According to the WHO’s guidelines for drinking water quality (2011), the permissible limit of Arsenic in groundwater is .01 m/ litre. However, in India the permissible limit in drinking water was only recently been revised from .05 mg/litre to .01 mg/litre. The main reason for high incidence of Arsenic in these areas is use of deep tube wells for water supply.