LUCKNOW, July 21 -- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is hearing a suo moto case based on a news report highlighting the presence of arsenic in groundwater in 25 states and fluoride in 27 states. All states and Union Territories (UTs) have submitted their reports except Daman & Diu. The NGT took cognizance of the news report published in several newspapers on November 30, 2023. A bench comprising Justice Prakash Srivastava (chairman), Justice Sudhir Agrawal (judicial member), and Dr A Senthil Vel (expert member) passed the order on July 16. The tribunal has directed the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) to compile and summarise the data on affected districts, villages, water sources and action taken by each state/UT. The CGWA must also report on available treatment technologies and advisories issued, the NGT directed. The tribunal has granted six weeks' time to the CGWA to file a comprehensive report and listed the case for next hearing on October 17, 2025. Taking serious note of water pollution caused by chromium, mercury, fluoride, and iron in Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, and Fatehpur districts of the state, the NGT has recommended to constitute a team of experts comprising doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi, and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, among others for treatment of affected persons. Other members of the team will be Dr Rajnarayan Tiwari, director and scientist ICMR, National Institute for Research in Environment Health, Bhopal; and Dr TK Joshi, former HoD, epidemiology, RML Hospital, New Delhi. The chief secretary and the secretary, health department, of the Uttar Pradesh government will also be part of this team. A three-member bench of the NGT passed the order of July 1 comprising chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel. The case relates to an application filed before the NGT, New Delhi, in 2019 and thereafter three more applications were filed in 2019, 2023 and 2024 highlighting presence of heavy metals in water in Kanpur, Kanpur Dehat, and Fatehpur districts of Uttar Pradesh. The tribunal had appointed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) to visit the affected districts and submit the report. The report was submitted in January this year. The tribunal also observed that no systematic health survey has been undertaken in any of the affected areas and diagnostic and testing facilities specific to heavy metal contamination have not been established in any of the three districts. The tribunal also pointed out that no insurance or compensatory mechanism has been introduced for individuals suffering from chromium and mercury-related health complications. The tribunal has listed the case on October 7 for next hearing....