New Delhi: A parliamentary committee from the Ministry of Water Resources has revealed that drinking water in 74 locations across 10 districts in Kerala has been contaminated.

The affected districts in Kerala include Alappuzha (12 areas), Idukki (3 areas), Kannur (21 areas), Kasaragod (2 areas), Kozhikode (15 areas), Malappuram (8 areas), Palakkad (2 areas), Thiruvananthapuram (1 area), Thrissur (2 areas), and Wayanad (8 areas).

Additionally, water contamination has been reported in 11,348 settlements across 96 districts in seven states, including Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Tripura.

The committee also criticised the state governments for failing to implement short-term measures to address various forms of water pollution, such as salinity, iron, nitrate, and mineral contamination.

The situation is particularly dire in Punjab, where radioactive uranium contamination has been detected in 32 settlements across nine districts. While interim measures have been taken in 22 of these areas, 10 settlements are still waiting for action. The accumulation of uranium in the kidneys, liver, bones, and other organs can lead to severe health problems and even death.