Aizawl, Mar 16 (UNI) The Centre has asked all northeastern states, including Sikkim, to ensure adequate treatment of drinking water in rural areas with pollution levels in ground water table rising.

Official sources here today said that apart from iron concentration in the ground water, excess fluoride and arsenic contents were also reported in drinking water sources of 54 districts in the region.

Referring to a recent communique of Rural Development ministry, sources stated that at least seven districts in Mizoram, three in Tripura, nine in Arunachal Pradesh, 22 in Asom, five in Manipur, six in Meghalaya and one each district of Sikkim and Nagaland have reported contamination at ground water level.

''As many as 18 districts in Asom and one in Tripura have reported excess arsenic content while the rest of the other districts have reported multiple problems in rural drinking water sources'', the sources said.

According to report, NE states have conducted water quality surveys last April, which established that Asom is affected with excess fluoride in rural drinking water sources.

With the survey report, RD ministry launched National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme last year to check the quality of all rural drinking water sources in the affected areas. However, as rural drinking water supply is a state subject, the Centre has asked the state governments to consider the matter seriously, the sources added.

UNI