Fifty percent of the districts in the state of West Bengal in India are exposed to arsenic-contaminated water. A large number of people have been diagnosed with symptoms of arsenic poisoning even though much of the at-risk population has yet to be assessed

Water is replenishable but finite resource. The annual overall availability of surface water in Orissa is about 85.59 billion m. The population of Orissa is 4% of that of the country, according to 2001 census. The State has 11% of the water resources of the country. The per-capita availability of water in 2001 was 3359 m. By 2051, it is likely to reduce to 2218 m . With increasing population and the consequential increase in demand for food and water and with the growth in mining and industrial activities, the demand for water from various sectors is likely to increase to 55 billion m.

The first part of the paper briefly describes the geography and the socio-economic background of Plachimada. The second part analyses the legal and institutional framework applicable to the case. This part also examines how the government approached the case, which has already been presented before the Kerala High Court. The third part is an analysis of the case law.