Problem Of Ground Water Contamination In Terai

There is a growing problem of ground water contamination, particularly in the Terai. The water as it flows through rocks dissolves toxic elements in the ground. People who are heavily dependent on ground water for drinking purpose consume this, consequently leading to health hazards since the harmful chemical, even in very low dosages, is very injurious to human health causing several fatal diseases, including heart and respiratory problems and sometimes, even skin cancer. Though Nepal has not experienced widespread ground water poisoning, the absence of such occurrences does not mean that the nation is safe from this malaise. There have been news reports that over 28,000 children in the Terai are suffering from the problem of water contamination. This is more alarming, especially when out of the 47 per cent of the nation’s total population living in the 22 districts of the Terai, 90 per cent of them depend on ground water for drinking. Therefore, if the people of Terai region are to be protected from such diseases, the need to come up with remedial measures is highly overdue.

Chandra Nath Ghimire
Baluwatar, Kathmandu