NHRC summons Telangana Chief Secretary over fluoride crisis

Hyderabad: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has summoned Telangana’s Chief Secretary to appear before it in person over the state’s handling of fluoride contamination in groundwater, after repeated directions for a detailed report went unanswered.

In an order dated Monday, August 31, the NHRC issued conditional summons requiring the Chief Secretary to appear on September 29. The appearance will be dispensed with if the required additional report is filed on or before September 22.

The case stems from a complaint filed on January 1, 2025, by Hyderabad-based advocate Yennam Balachander Reddy, who cited the Centre’s Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2024 and a news report to argue that fluoride levels in Telangana’s groundwater had reached alarming levels, posing serious health risks. Despite the government acknowledging the problem, remedial measures remained inadequate, he said.

NHRC rejects ‘inevitable at source’ argument

In earlier proceedings on April 8 this year, the commission took issue with the response filed by the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District Collector and the Irrigation and Command Area Development (I&CAD) Department, which attributed high fluoride concentrations to geogenic factors and said groundwater contamination was therefore inevitable at the source.

The NHRC said it was not in agreement with that position, observing that while fluoride in groundwater usually originates in natural rock, it is not always present and depends on specific local hydrogeological conditions, an aspect the report failed to address. It also noted that the report was silent on what was being done to prevent the spread of contamination, particularly given the Collector’s own admission that nine additional villages had since been affected.

The complainant had submitted that the problem was worsening rather than stabilising, and that merely identifying hydro-geological benchmarks without an enforceable implementation plan did not amount to meaningful remediation.

Gaps flagged in state’s response

The commission recorded further shortcomings raised by the complainant, such as the state’s report not furnishing village-wise coverage data, offering no clarity on the adequacy or quality monitoring of water supplied and not addressing last-mile connectivity, seasonal disruptions or continued reliance on contaminated borewells where regular surface supply was absent. 

It was also silent on medical surveillance of affected residents, preventive healthcare and awareness campaigns.

The NHRC accordingly directed the Chief Secretary to submit an additional report within four weeks. A letter dated April 24 was subsequently sent by the Principal Secretary, General Administration, to the I&CAD Department seeking the report, but no report has been received, prompting the summons.

One in seven samples above limit

The Central Ground Water Board’s 2024 report, on which the complaint rests, found that of 1,150 groundwater samples analysed in Telangana, 171, or 14.87 per cent, exceeded the permissible fluoride limit of 1.5 mg per litre. Fluoride was detected at one or more locations in 28 of the state’s 33 districts.

Yadadri Bhuvanagiri figures among the 15 worst-affected districts in the country, ranking fifth, with 21 of 43 samples, or 48.84 per cent, above the permissible limit. Telangana is among several states, along with Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, showing an increasing trend in the number of districts breaching the limit between 2017 and 2023.

The report also found the monsoon offered limited relief in Telangana. Of 355 pre- and post-monsoon samples, conditions improved at 209 locations but deteriorated at 146.

Prolonged exposure to excess fluoride is linked to dental and skeletal fluorosis and other health complications. The petition had sought regular supply of clean drinking water, the constitution of fluoride task forces, the setting up of fluoride-free centres and disability certificates for fluorosis victims.