Présentations Colloques

Developing countries like India lack access to facilities for safely disposing human waste and maintaining hygienic conditions. On-site sanitation and open defecation practiced in various parts of India has raised concern to the impact on groundwater quality. This waste directly leaches to the nearby groundwater and contaminates the drinking water sources leading to increase in concentration of contaminants like nitrates posing threat to human-health. Higher concentration of nitrates in drinking water has been positively associated with the increasing risk to several types of cancers. As a part of research work in NEERI+ drinking water samples from different rural settings in Nagpur were collected. In villages, Isapur (85.59 mg l), Tarodi Khurd (50.71), Gumthala (53.02), Jakhegaon (98.8), Bina (54.43), Sillori (205.26), Parsodi (54.28), Shivani (49.38), Shegaon (63.44), Wahi (133.67), Khairna (164.06), Pimpalgaon (71.86), Sakoli (67.96), Garanda (62.08), Mahadula (53.8) nitrate concentration in drinking water was found to exceed the permissible limit. A detailed health survey emphasizing on the sanitation practices, storage of water, filtration techniques used and the waterborne diseases prevalent in the area was carried out in these villages. Also, the prolonged exposure to nitrate contaminated water could lead to carcinogenicity. Using a case-control study design a population of 234 persons in Nagpur and Bhandara district of the Indian subcontinent was studied for 1 year. In this respect a survey of cancer patients in three of the cancer hospitals in Nagpur was performed. A detailed survey of 16 predictor variables through formhub software was carried out. Drinking water and vegetable samples were collected from these locations to identify the risk from nitrates and consequent occurrence of cancer. Statistical analysis suggested that nitrate concentration in drinking water was found significant in predicting cancer risk and the unhygienic sanitation practices enhanced nitrate contamination of groundwater.