Critical review on uranium and arsenic content and their chemical mobilization in the groundwater: A case study of the Malwa region Punjab, India

Abstract

Groundwater played a pivotal role in the social and economic development of the Malwa Region. With the advent of the green revolution, water for irrigation and domestic use led to the development of groundwater resources. Slowly, the green revolution changed into a greed revolution, and the exploitation of groundwater resources converted into their overexploitation. Groundwater's overexploitation not only led to groundwater depletion but also led to a change in the chemistry of the Malwa region's aquifers. Researchers from academia and institutions worked and published their findings of the uranium and arsenic contaminations in the Malwa region of Punjab. In this article, we are the first to bring all the dispersed data to one commonplace. By studying the physicochemical parameters of groundwater of all districts of the Malwa region and their correlation, this paper is going to highlight the various chemical reactions occurring in the Malwa region's aquifer and how they impact groundwater chemistry. For understanding, we devised a hypothetical model to understand the complex interplay of this region's natural dynamics of groundwater aquifers. Finally, we tried to describe how the various chemical changes in the groundwater aquifer can be the reason for the mobilization of arsenic and uranium by making schematic chemical flow-charts of their mobilization. This article aims to highlight the importance of using a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental approach to comprehending the complex problem of groundwater management.