Patna,(BiharTimes): The Bihar government informed the state Assembly on Thursday that excess quantity of harmful arsenic and fluoride have been found in water in 22 districts of the state.

Replying to a question by Achutanand (BJP) in the Assembly Public Health & Engineering Department (PHED) minister Chandra Mohan Rai said the water table of 5,747 habitations spread over 22 districts of the state was found contaminated. 

He said that a sum of Rs 113 crore has been spent in the last three years to supply pure drinking water in these areas of the state. The government would address the problem of drinking water in these areas through the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) of the central government.

Rai said that four lakh more water sources would be tested next year and added that the state government has entered into an agreement with the Centre for mapping of arsenic and fluoride affected districts.
Excess amount of arsenic and fluoride in water causes diseases related to skin and neurological disorders. Arsenic causes diseases like cancer of intestines, liver, kidneys and the bladder as well as gangrene.

An official said the worst-affected districts were Bhojpur, Buxar, Vaishali, Bhagalpur, Samastipur, Khagaria, Katihar, Chapra, Munger and Darbhanga.