Assam: Excess fluoride in groundwater is causing bent limbs, body deformation

Every day, 21-year-old Amjad Hussain, from Tapatjuri village in the Nagaon district of Assam, walks one kilometre to his neighbour Dilwar Hussain’s house, where he weaves patis (mats) made from the agar tree to earn an income. His family considers this a small miracle considering that a few years ago, Amjad couldn’t even take a step without a walking stick.

“Three of my sons developed bodily deformations, which we later learnt was because of the water we drink,” says Amjad’s mother, Halima Khatun. Her sons were showing symptoms of skeletal fluorosis, which is caused by consuming water with excess fluoride content. Her daughter was spared from this “pani wala bemar” (water-borne disease), she says.

Dharani Saikia, a 62-year-old social worker based in Kampur town in Nagaon district, has been gathering evidence of fluorosis cases in Assam, particularly in Nagaon, Hojai and Karbi Anglong districts for over two decades. He says that as of 2020, 13 districts are affected.

In 2022, the Ministry of Jal Shakti confirmed fluoride contamination beyond safe levels in nine districts of Assam. However, no official findings detailing contamination levels of groundwater, number of affected people and symptoms have not been published since nearly a decade ago, when surveys were conducted in 2017-’18. Meanwhile,...

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