Arsenic enrichment in groundwater of West Bengal, India: geochemical evidence for mobilization of As under reducing conditions

Stüben, Doris; Berner, Zsolt; Chandrasekharam, D.; Karmakar, Julie

doi:10.1016/s0883-2927(03)00060-x

Cited by 245 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The bicarbonate may also be supplied from local biogeochemical processes to the groundwater system [123,124]. Several workers reported strong to moderate correlation between arsenic and iron which indicates the release of arsenic due to dissolution of and desorption from iron hydroxides in the sediments [117,120]. Poor correlation between arsenic and iron has also been reported by many workers [12,13,28,49,57,80,123].…”

Section: Biogeochemical Redox Transformationmentioning

confidence: 94%

A Review of Groundwater Arsenic in the Bengal Basin, Bangladesh and India: from Source to Sink

2015

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The groundwater of the Bengal basin, in Bangladesh and West Bengal state of India, is found to be severely polluted by non-point sourced, geogenic arsenic (As), which has been regarded as the largest public health concern in the human history. The geomorphology and geology of the aquifers play very important role in the three dimensional existence of the As in the groundwater. The provenance of the groundwater As of Bengal basin may be hypothesized to be sourced to the Himalayan orogenic belt, where the contaminant might have originated by deep-seated tectono-magmatism and subsequently introduced to the surficial system by exhumation. Later, sedimentary processes transported the As-laden sediments from the orogenic belt to the peripheral foreland basin of Bengal where, under conducive biogeochemical environment, the As is released from the solid-phase to the circulating groundwater. Ferric hydroxides and pyrite are considered to be the two most important host minerals for As, although clay minerals may also act as important substrates for the sorbed As. The mobilized As then exists in the groundwater until a suitable geochemical sink is available. The mobilization process may be related to reductive-dissolution of metal oxides and hydroxides that exist in the unconsolidated sediments of the Bengal basin. Other mechanisms like pyrite oxidation, redox cycling in surficial soils, and competitive ion exchange are also accepted as potential mechanisms for arsenic mobilization, and multiple processes may simultaneously contribute to the mobilization of As. The processes are significantly complicated by redox disequilibria in the Bengal basin aquifers. These inorganic processes may have been significantly catalyzed and accentuated by microbially mediated activities. The tertiary source of groundwater As is the irrigation return flow from the agricultural fields.

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Section: Biogeochemical Redox Transformationmentioning

confidence: 94%

A Review of Groundwater Arsenic in the Bengal Basin, Bangladesh and India: from Source to Sink

2015

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“…Several hypotheses have been developed to explain the origin and basic cause of this calamity since the regional extension of the As anomaly became manifest in the early 1990s (BGS and DPHE, 2001). Lately, a model is favoured according to which As adsorbed on Fe-/Mn-oxides/hydroxides is released into the groundwater due to a decrease of the redox state in the aquifer (Nickson et al, 1998;Nickson et al, 2000;Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2001;BGS and DPHE, 2001;Stü ben et al, 2003). However, several questions are still open.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of irrigation with As rich groundwater on soil and crops: A geochemical case study in West Bengal Delta Plain, India

Norra

Berner

Agarwala

et al. 2005

Applied Geochemistry

214

126

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“…All aquifers are reported to be enriched in arsenic-bound minerals in varied concentrations (Stüben et al, 2003). In the affected areas, the aquifer sediments are capped by a layer of clay or silt which has effectively restricted entry of arsenic into the surface water (Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in West Bengal: Current Scenario, Effects and Probable Ways of Mitigation

Dey

Banerjee

Bakshi

et al. 2014

ILNS

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During the past two decades, Arsenic (As) contamination via groundwater has become a serious issue worldwide and is now a major concern in the Indo-Bangladesh Gangetic delta. Arsenic enters human body through contaminated groundwater consumed as drinking water. Food safety in this region is also facing severe consequences as bio-accumulation of Arsenic is occurring in food crops irrigated with As-contaminated water. Chronic exposure to Arsenic can cause not only cancerous and non-cancer health effects. Reports suggest that about 20 % population in West Bengal is highly affected. Various techniques are being introduced to provide arsenic-free drinking water at an affordable cost. But a rigorous change in habit and mind set for procuring safe drinking water in those surviving in As-contaminated zones is the most essential step towards curbing the fatal consequences of As exposure. Harvesting rain water and utilization of proper purification techniques can be considered a possible alternative of safe drinking water.

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Arsenic enrichment in groundwater of West Bengal, India: geochemical evidence for mobilization of As under reducing conditions

Cited by 245 publications

References 39 publications

A Review of Groundwater Arsenic in the Bengal Basin, Bangladesh and India: from Source to Sink

A Review of Groundwater Arsenic in the Bengal Basin, Bangladesh and India: from Source to Sink

Impact of irrigation with As rich groundwater on soil and crops: A geochemical case study in West Bengal Delta Plain, India

Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in West Bengal: Current Scenario, Effects and Probable Ways of Mitigation

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