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.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Oceanografi, hydrologi och vattenresurser (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Oceanography, Hydrology and Water Resources (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Arsenic

Bengal basin

Brahmaputra river basin

Chhattisgarh

Contamination

Ganges

Groundwater

India

Kolar Gold Fields

Mobilization

Natural sources

Reductive dissolution

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kap (subject category)