The overall assessment of quality and quantity of drinking water with focus on fluoride in the areas of extreme western parts of Jharkhand

Palamu and Garhwa is located in extreme parts of Jharkhand. The always highlighted groundwater quality problem in this area is Fluoride contamination. A current assessment of problem is done statistically and tried to find out some solution on the basis of current findings. The Groundwater of the Palamu district is very well contaminated with fluoride content for so many years. The residents from different villages have been identified with fluorosis due to consumption of fluoride contaminated groundwater. The Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water in the area and very few people are fed with PHE water supply scheme. Geologically the gneisses and granites are the most predominant rocks of the whole palamu area these rocks have fluoride bearing minerals which are leached out to the groundwater and contribute high fluoride concentration in the groundwater. Total 84 water samples are collected from rural areas of selected blocks and their physical chemical parameters are tested in the laboratory and are statistically analysed too. Fluoride concentration ranges from 0.14–6.98 mg/l with an average of 1.1379 mg/l and standard deviation of 0.6927. The 9.993% of samples having fluoride concentration above desirable limit (1 mg/l) and 23.192% samples having fluoride concentration above 1.5 mg/l. Rest of the samples are within desirable limit. To assess the health impact, check for dental and skeletal fluorosis is also done and it is found that the most of the people from Chukru, Bakhari, Kauria and Jorkat villages consume groundwater as their drinking water source which have reportedly high fluoride content in their groundwater and thus morbidity of dental fluorosis is very high in many villages. Dean indices are analysed for fluoride affected villages. It is finally concluded that the area need a sound Fluoride management plan and the removal of fluoride from drinking water is urgent necessity.