ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the implicit role of water contamination in conflicts related to water security and safety in Assam. The greater part of Assam lies within the Brahmaputra Valley, while the southernmost part lies in the Barak Valley, separated by the Central Assam range. A network of Piped Water Supply Schemes (PWSS) run by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is the major water supply mechanism, supplemented by both public and private spot sources predominated by an assortment of hand pumps. Groundwater arsenic contamination in Brahmaputra floodplain is a relatively recent discovery. Fluoride contamination was reported in Assam in May 1999 in the Tekelangjun area of Karbi Anglong, where fluoride concentrations were found to be 5 to 23 mg/L. In spite of more than a decade since the discovery of fluoride in Nagaon District in Assam, the situation still continues to worsen. Health implications due to consumption of fluoride-contaminated drinking water have impacted both social and economic lives of communities.
