A Mukherjee

Groundwater Arsenic in India: Source, Distribution, Effects and Alternate Safe Drinking Water Sources

Elevated natural groundwater arsenic, a carcinogen, has created a severe environmental health crisis in several parts of India. Since the discovery of groundwater arsenic and arsenicosis in West Bengal, in 1984, a huge wealth of information has been generated by groundwater arsenic research during the last three decades. The principal mechanism of arsenic mobilization in groundwater is believed to be reductive dissolution of Fe-oxyhydroxides in aquifer sediments. Arsenic enriched groundwater used for irrigation also leads to long-term risks for arsenic enrichment in the soils and bioaccumulation in crops. Various studies are ongoing to develop a holistic approach for arsenic mitigation.

An Insight into the Spatio-vertical Heterogeneity of Dissolved Arsenic in Part of the Bengal Delta Plain Aquifer in West Bengal (India)

Naturally occurring, carcinogenic, arsenic (As) is omnipresent in hydrological systems, and is considered as the most serious abiotic contaminant of groundwater in several parts of the world (Smedley and Kinniburgh, Appl Geochem 17:517–56, 2002; Chatterjee et al., Environ Geol 49:188–206, 2005; Charlet et al., Appl Geochem 22:1273–1292, 2007; Mukherjee et al., J Contam Hydrol 99:1–7, 2008a; Neumann et al., Nat Geosci 3:46–52, 2010 and references therein). Holocene aquifers of south-east Asia (mostly shallow, <50 m) often contain high As groundwater. The groundwater is predominantly used for irrigation and domestic purposes, e.g., cooking, drinking and bathing (Bhattacharya et al., J Water Resour Dev 13:79–92, 1997; Bhattacharyya et al., Mol Cell Biochem 253:347–355, 2003a; Charlet et al., Appl Geochem 22:1273–1292, 2007). In south-east Asia, As-rich groundwaters are often found in alluvial plains of regional rivers (Fendorf et al., Science 328:1123–1127, 2010). Prolonged consumption of groundwater with elevated levels of As may cause a formidable threat to human health and millions of people are now at risk (Bhattacharyya et al. Mol Cell Biochem 253:347–355, 2003a; Chatterjee et al., Water Res 44:5803–5812, 2010; Nath et al., Water Air Soil Pollut 190:95–113, 2008a). Arsenic contamination in groundwater and related health issues is considered as the greatest mass poisoning in human history (Smith et al., Bull World Health Organ 78:1093–1103, 2000).

Arsenic in Groundwater: Distribution and Geochemistry in Nadia District, West Bengal, India

Groundwater in Bengal Delta Plain (BDP; West Bengal and Bangladesh) is contaminated with geogenic arsenic (As). Shallow aquifers ( 10 µg L−1) for community water supply. In this context, deeper aquifer is the most reliable source of safer water as remediation technologies are in many cases incapable of yielding arsenic-safe water.