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Deadly groundwater

THE rapidly deteriorating quality of groundwater in parts of Delhi is due to hazardous substances leached from landfill sites, according to Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA). The water is released by over about 1400 hazardous industries. Three lands sites of Delhi - Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla - are contaminated with deadly poison chemicals like arsenic and other heavy metals. According the study. However, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has blamed absence of a monitoring mechanism for the deteriorating conditions.

A 1995 Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) study had shown that Delhi's groundwater contained pesticides, bacterial and viral strains, fluorine and heavy metal deposits, far above maximum permissible limits. The study also classified the industrial area of Okhla as the most vulnerable to pollution.

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