PROMOTING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BETWEEN INDIA AND THE U.S.
Civil Engineering, Engineering
Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
Fluoride contamination of groundwater from geochemical sources is a serious environmental issue in India as 62 million people spread over 17 Indian states is at risk from drinking fluoride-contaminated water. The Indian Standard for drinking water prescribes 1.5 mg/L as the permissible limit for fluoride in drinking water. Ingestion of fluoride-contaminated water can cause dental and skeletal fluorosis. Fluoride build up in ground water are controlled by the geology of host rocks, contact time with fluoride minerals, groundwater chemical composition and climate. A new method based on use of magnesium oxide (termed IISc method) has been developed to remove fluoride from drinking water. The IISc method of defluoridation is being successfully practiced at limited number of houses in two Districts of Karnataka for nearly two years.