Fluoride contamination in groundwater (Karnataka, India): A community effort in cost-affective treatment and management
for SIDA in association with Stockholm University, Sweden


Rationale

High fluoride in groundwater primarily results from prolonged rock-water interaction. It is typically prevalent in regions with granite or gneiss, and hot climate. In India, >6 million people are affected by endemic fluorisis from drinking fluoride-rich groundwater; this is a major environmental crisis. Several fluoride remediation schemes are available, but large-scale deployment has failed due to high costs, complexity, and lack of local involvement. The idea is to take our ‘lab based research’ to ‘grass root level’. The principal idea is to empower local communities and provide them the technical knowledge and assistance for improved drinking water supply.

Summary

The study addresses a critical problem in rural Karnataka, which is affected by high levels of naturally occurring fluoride in groundwater. This study in collaboration with our partner from Stockholm University and KTH Sweeden focuses on providing the technology and knowledge to the local people and the primary goals are:

Installing suitable defluoridation method(s),
Focusing on alternate safe drinking water conservation (e.g., rain water harvesting),
Starting a societal outreach program focused on groundwater remediation and suitable management practices.

A village-based Community Water Center will be started to educate people and help them in operating the simple defluoridation units and facilitate rainwater harvesting. The defluoridation units will use aluminum sulfate, alum and lime spikes into groundwater. The groundwater will be gently stirred, and flocs allowed settling down in a bucket; fluoride will be removed by filtration.