Trends in arsenic concentration at tubewells in Bangladesh: conceptual models, numerical models, and monitoring proxies

Burgess, WG; Ahmed, Khandaker Asif; Carruthers, A; Cheetham, H; Cobbing, Jude; Cuthbert, Mark O.; Mather, SE; McCarthy, EM

doi:10.1016/s0927-5215(06)09002-3

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Tube‐well age as a proxy for pumping time has been applied to suggest that As concentration in general increases with time at pumping wells (Burgess et al . , ; Ravenscroft et al . , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integration of aquifer geology, groundwater flow and arsenic distribution in deltaic aquifers - A unifying concept

Hoque

Burgess

Ahmed

2017

Hydrological Processes

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Groundwater arsenic (As) presents a public health risk of great magnitude in densely populated Asian delta regions, most acutely in the Bengal Basin (West Bengal, India and Bangladesh). Research has focused on the sources, mobilisation, and heterogeneity of groundwater As, but a consistent explanation of As distribution from local to basin scale remains elusive. We show for the Bengal Aquifer System that the numerous, discontinuous silt-clay layers together with surface topography impose a hierarchical pattern of groundwater flow, which constrains As penetration into the aquifer and controls its redistribution towards discharge zones, where it is re-sequestered to solid phases. This is particularly so for the discrete periods of As release to groundwater in the shallow subsurface associated with sea level high-stand conditions of Quaternary inter-glacial periods. We propose a hypothesis concerning groundwater flow (Silt-clay layers Impose Hierarchical groundwater flow patterns constraining Arsenic progression [SIHA]), which links consensus views on the As source and history of sedimentation in the basin to the variety of spatial and depth distributions of groundwater As reported in the literature. SIHA reconciles apparent inconsistencies between independent, in some cases contrasting, field observations. We infer that lithological and topographic controls on groundwater flow, inherent to SIHA, apply more generally to deltaic aquifers elsewhere. The analysis suggests that groundwater As may persist in the aquifers of Asian deltas over thousands of years, but in certain regions, particularly at deeper levels, As will not exceed low background concentrations unless groundwater flow systems are short-circuited by excessive pumping.

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“…Tube‐well age as a proxy for pumping time has been applied to suggest that As concentration in general increases with time at pumping wells (Burgess et al . , ; Ravenscroft et al . , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Note that a prevalent belief has been that As concentration will increase in most tube wells with time (Burgess et al . , ; JICA, ; Ravenscroft et al . , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration of aquifer geology, groundwater flow and arsenic distribution in deltaic aquifers - A unifying concept

Hoque

Burgess

Ahmed

2017

Hydrological Processes

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“…Numerical As transport modeling has previously been successfully applied to reproduce the observed patterns of As in groundwater in many geographical areas, such as Bangladesh (Burgess et al 2007), by jointly simulating groundwater flows and As transports in multi-layered leaky aquifers. Standard software packages can simulate these in 3D space.…”

Section: Simulation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is an alternative As mobilization mechanism by which As is released by organic acids moving from organic-rich, possibly peaty, sediments (Burgess et al 2007). Under such geologic conditions, organic acids are mobile species, allowing As to be mobilized because organics induce the reductive dissolution/desorption of As.…”

Section: Simulation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinguishing potential sources of arsenic released to groundwater around a fault zone containing a mine site

Iskandar

Koike

2010

Environ Earth Sci

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Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater in mineralized areas typically results from the oxidation of Asrich sulfide minerals in aquifers, from hydrothermal alteration of geothermal systems, or as a result of anthropogenic influences such as mining activity. The primary goal of this study was to determine the spatial and temporal variance in As concentrations in shallow groundwater in a mineralized area and to identify the main As source controlling the concentration patterns. To this end, a combination of a geostatistical technique for space-time modeling of As concentrations and a numerical simulation, which models the transport of As in groundwater, is implemented. A study site in North Sulawesi, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia was selected as it was suitable for investigating the importance of fault lines and metal mining on As contamination. Initially, stable isotope analysis was used to ascertain the groundwater source and the mixing mechanism of the shallow and deep groundwater. Geostatistical modeling revealed consistent general patterns of As concentrations during the past 10 years, with high concentrations found along a NW-SE axis. By matching the geostatistical results with the distributions of As concentrations obtained through transport modeling, the deep-seated hydrothermal system along the fault zone was found to be the major As source. Wastewater from the mine was also observed to be a local As source. Another important influence on the As concentration pattern was a river, which acted as a boundary to separate the groundwater systems into two regions.

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“…Thus arsenic free groundwater is found in the deep aquifers with the exception of a very few places in the northWestern region (RAHMAn and AL-MUyEED, 2009 ) whereas less than 1% of deep tubewells (DtWs ) exceed the 50 mg•L -1 As limit (BURGEss et al, 2007). However, DWts are expensive to drill in comparison with HtWs.…”

Section: Alternative Water Supply Options 331 Deep Tubewellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic mitigation measures in Bangladesh

Khan¹

2012

rseau

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The scale of arsenic toxicity of the groundwater in Bangladesh is greater than any environmental debacle in the history of human civilization. The main route of arsenic accumulation in the human body is the ingestion of arsenic tainted water. Because of the undetectable nature of arsenic poisoning at the early stage and lack of awareness due to mass illiteracy, poverty and malnutrition, arsenic related ailments may cause death. However, this paper mainly discusses arsenic mitigation measures in Bangladesh. Although a piped surface water supply after treatment is the absolute solution to get rid of this crisis, the weak economic background of Bangladesh does not support supplying such water to every corner of rural areas. Hence research groups have developed their own methods to suit the local environment, using locally available materials and approaches based on the common method of arsenic removal: use of oxidizing agents, followed by flocculation and precipitation. Again, among different alternative water supply options, deep tubewells, which have been used by the communities in Bangladesh during the past few decades, appear to be a more suitable alternate option. Moreover, household-based arsenic filters can be a good choice if proper maintenance can be done.L’accroissement du problème de toxicité causé par l’arsenic au Bangladesh constitue une catastrophe environnementale majeure dans l’histoire de l’humanité. La principale voie d’accumulation de l’arsenic dans le corps humain est l’ingestion d’eau polluée par ce contaminant. La nature indétectable de l’empoisonnement à l’arsenic dans les premières étapes, l’insuffisance d’avertissement attribuable à l’analphabétisme, ainsi qu’à la pauvreté et la malnutrition, font en sorte que l’empoisonnement progressif à l’arsenic peut causer la mort. Le présent article discute toutefois les mesures d’atténuation envisagées au Bangladesh. Ainsi, bien que l’alimentation dans des conduites avec de l’eau de surface traitée représente la solution idéale pour résoudre cette crise, l’état économique précaire du Bangladesh ne permet pas d’alimenter en eau de surface traitée toutes les populations des zones rurales. De là, des groupes de recherche ont développé des méthodes spécifiques à l’environnement local en utilisant des matériaux disponibles sur place et basées sur une méthode établie d’enlèvement de l’arsenic : en utilisant des agents oxydants suivi par la floculation et la précipitation. Parmi les différentes alternatives d’alimentation en eau explorées, la technique de puits profonds, laquelle a été utilisée par les communautés au Bangladesh durant les décennies passées, apparaît être l’option la plus appropriée. De plus, l’emploi d’unités de filtration dans les résidences peut être un bon choix, dans les cas où celles-ci sont entretenues adéquatement

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Trends in arsenic concentration at tubewells in Bangladesh: conceptual models, numerical models, and monitoring proxies

Cited by 5 publications

References 7 publications

Integration of aquifer geology, groundwater flow and arsenic distribution in deltaic aquifers - A unifying concept

Integration of aquifer geology, groundwater flow and arsenic distribution in deltaic aquifers - A unifying concept

Distinguishing potential sources of arsenic released to groundwater around a fault zone containing a mine site

Arsenic mitigation measures in Bangladesh

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