Punjab Groundwater Crisis Deepens as Uranium Levels Spike to 62.5% in New Report

Sandhu described the contamination as a “public health emergency”. File Photo.

Punjab is facing a severe groundwater contamination crisis. The uranium levels exceed the safe limit in 62.5% of tested samples, which makes it the worst-affected state in India, Member of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu told the Rajya Sabha. Sandhu cited the Central Ground Water Board’s Annual Ground Water Report 2025 to highlight the crisis.

As per the latest CGWB data, uranium concentrations above the permissible limit of 30 parts per billion (ppb) were found in 53.04% of samples before the monsoon and climbed to 62.5% after the monsoon. It is a dramatic jump from 32.6% in 2024, a rise of 91.7% year-on-year.

Sandhu described the contamination as a “public health emergency”. He highlighted that long-term exposure to uranium in drinking water can cause kidney disorders, cancer and other chronic health problems, particularly among future generations.

The MP also highlighted the presence of other harmful pollutants in the state’s groundwater. According to his statement, 14.6% of samples showed excessive nitrate, which can lead to conditions like Blue Baby Syndrome, and 11% had elevated fluoride levels, which are known to cause bone and dental diseases.

Beyond human health, Sandhu cautioned about major threats to agriculture and soil health. Residual sodium carbonate and increased salinity were detected in 25% of samples, which contribute to land degradation and soil fertility loss.

Sandhu urged the central government to launch a “Special Groundwater Mitigation Mission”, including installing community-level reverse osmosis (RO) water systems in affected villages and conducting deep aquifer mapping to locate safer water sources.

According to the report, 16 of Punjab’s 23 districts are contaminated zones, including Tarn Taran, Patiala, Sangrur, Moga, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Fatehgarh Sahib, and others. In Sangrur and Bathinda, uranium concentrations exceeded 200 ppb.

Sandhu emphasised that water is a national asset and called for immediate, comprehensive and collective action to protect public health and agricultural productivity in Punjab.

Source: The Tribune