Delhi Among Top Three States for Uranium-Contaminated Groundwater

The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025 found uranium contamination in Delhi groundwater rising, with 13–15% of collected samples exceeding the permitted limit of 30 ppb — the third highest after Punjab and Haryana.

The report shows a steady rise in uranium contamination. In 2020, 11.7% of samples exceeded safe limits, with one reading as high as 89.4 ppb in North West Delhi.

By 2024, six districts — North, North West, South, South East, South West, and West — were above safe levels, raising the citywide contamination to 10.7%.

CGWB tested 3,754 groundwater samples nationwide in 2024, finding uranium above safe limits in 6.71% pre-monsoon and 7.91% post-monsoon samples, indicating a rise after rains.

Punjab recorded the worst contamination, followed by Haryana and then Delhi. Auchandi (42 ppb) and Nizampur (46.5 ppb) were flagged as hotspots in the capital.

The report warns that long-term exposure to uranium, arsenic, lead, iron and manganese in drinking water can cause kidney failure, neurological damage, bone deformities, increased cancer risk, and developmental harm in children, making the contamination a major public-health threat.