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A report released this week by the public works
department in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, said the
water was "not fit for human consumption" and could lead to cancer and
other illnesses.

Contaminants such as arsenic, lead and cadmium
were present in groundwater sources tested in 42 out of 70 districts,
State Urban Development Minister Mohammed Azam Khan said, describing
the findings as "frightening."

"Once contaminated, it is very difficult to purify the water," the report added.

The minister said the state would ask the World Bank for help in providing clean water.

Doctors
said there had been an upsurge in cancer among Uttar Pradesh's 180
million people in recent years, which could be linked to the polluted
water.

"If people are drinking water containing lead and arsenic
it's bound to cause cancer sooner or later," said Sandeep Agarwal, a
cancer specialist at the government-run King George's Medical College
hospital.

"Cancer has become very common even in young people.
Earlier only 600 to 700 cancer cases were detected (at the college) a
year but now the number is over 2,000," he said, adding that
contaminated water could be one of the key causes.

The majority of the sick were from rural areas, where untreated groundwater was the only source of drinking water, he said.

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