BHAWANIPATNA, 21 AUG: Certain pockets of the state like Nuapara, Nayagarh, Khurda, Bargarh and Bolangir are prone to health hazards due to high-fluoride contamination in drinking water. Methods like installation of filters in the tube wells will go a long way in containing the disease, opined participants at a workshop here recently.

The workshop was organised by Regional Centre for Development Cooperation (RCDC).

Speaking on the occasion, RCDC programme coordinator, Mr Suresh Rout informed that the particular method, known as “Membrane Filtrate Technology” has been developed by National Chemical Laboratory, Pune.

"Using rain water instead of ground water is another way to combat the issue," he said while suggesting that new and more effective models can be emulated with concerted effort.

The workshop also discussed various other means of remove flurine-compounds from drinking water.

According to the data produced by RCDC, about 1,227 villages of 28 blocks of the state are suffering high percentage of flurine-compounds in water. Nuapada, Nayagarh, Khurda, Bargarh, Bolangir and Kalahandi are worst affected, they pointed out.

Nuapara tops the list of worst-affected districts with 247 affected villages followed by Nayagarh (222) and Khurda (163). While 153 villages of Bargarh district are affected with fluoride-contaminated water problem; in Bolangir and Kalahandi, the numbers stand at 116 and 25 respectively.

Twenty two villages of Sambalpur are also affected