A Study of Nitrate Contamination in Ground Water of Delhi, India

Fast urban growth, without proper arrangements of waste management, led to serious problems of contamination of ground water in many urban centres of India. Present study clearly indicates how uncollected and mismanaged waste contaminates the ground water. Taking nitrate as an indicator of groundwater pollution due to urban wastes in Delhi, a detailed survey of nitrate level in ground water was carried out in Delhi in order to assess the magnitude of problem in different areas of Delhi. Nitrate, which may cause methemoglobinemia or "blue baby" disease, is found much above the drinking water limits prescribed by WHO and Bureau of Indian Standards. 43% of the samples showed values higher than prescribed limit of 45 mg/l as per BIS: 10500-2004. Since, groundwater is source of drinking in many parts of the city as the municipal water supply is inadequate due to growing demand of drinking water, the dependence on ground water is inevitable. Thus, exposure of population to high nitrate cannot be ruled out. There is a need of detailed study on health impact of consuming high nitrate groundwater in different parts of the city.