CGWB report flags widespread contamination of groundwater in Andhra Pradesh

The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has stated in its Annual Ground Water Quality Report-2025 that Andhra Pradesh is one of the States facing widespread contamination of groundwater as per the BIS standards.

However, the report notes that the monsoon season has shown some improvement in water quality, particularly in the areas affected by high Electrical Conductivity (EC) and fluoride.

Post-monsoon, a modest reduction in EC levels and fluoride has been observed in some regions, indicating that monsoon recharge can temporarily improve water quality by diluting salts.

“Elevated uranium concentrations exceeding 30 parts per billion (ppb) were detected sporadically in Andhra Pradesh and four other States, including Telangana,” the report mentioned.

High incidences of residual sodium carbonate beyond permissible limits were recorded in Andhra Pradesh (26.87% of the samples analysed).

The groundwater quality alerts issued by the CGWB during June 2024–March 2025 highlighted the high incidence of nitrate, iron, fluoride, chromium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, zinc, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, lead, and uranium, with notable concerns in Andhra Pradesh and eight other States.

Andhra Pradesh and some other States were found to be facing seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers, which was attributed to high levels of electrical conductivity.

Elevated fluoride levels

The CGWB detected elevated fluoride levels in parts of Andhra Pradesh among other States, which indicate that fluoride enrichment was largely confined to specific regions.

High nitrate concentrations were prominently observed in northwestern and central India, particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, extending further into parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

It was established that intensive agricultural practices, excessive fertilizer application, and improper disposal of domestic and animal wastes contributed to nitrate enrichment in those States.

Sixteen villages – Galiveedu, Boreddygaripalli, Basanikonda, Chinnamandyam, Sanipai and Chintaparthi in Annamayya district, Karivemula and Naganathapalli in Kurnool district, Alampur, Madakasira, Kambalaparthi, Tanakallu and Asvattharayapuram in Sri Sathya Sai district, and Damalacheruvu, Mungiliputtu and Balijepalli in Tirupati district were found to be uranium hotspots exceeding 30 ppb.

Arsenic hotspots

Similarly, five villages in Andhra Pradesh, namely Mulapalem (Bapatla district), Varagami (Guntur), Kartamodu (Nellore), Rompicherla (Palnadu), and Kurichedu (Prakasam) were identified as arsenic hotspots, where the concentration of the heavy metals exceeds 10 ppb.

Fluoride contamination above 1.50 mg/L in areas, especially hard rock aquifers in Andhra Pradesh, where over-extraction enhances the mobilisation of fluoride-bearing minerals was one of the major findings.