Global Water India Arsenic Dr Deb
Removal of Arsenic from Village Drinking Water Supplies in West Bengal
By
Dr. Arun Deb
Vice President (Retired), Weston Solutions, Inc.
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Introduction and Background
West Bengal, a state in Eastern India is very rich in groundwater and more than 80 percent of its populations tap this source as drinking water. In West Bengal, and in the neighboring nation of Bangladesh, a health crisis of devastating proportions has been quietly unfolding over many years. Much of the groundwater underlying the Upper Deltaic plain between the Bhagirathi River in West Bengal and the Padma River in Bangaladesh has been contaminated by arsenic concentrations exceeding the permissible limit of 0.05 mg/L arsenic concentrations most often ranged from 0.09 to 3.2 mg/L. Arsenic occurrence in the regions aquifers has been attributed to geological factors. Arsenic mobilization in the water may have been caused by over withdrawal of groundwater during cultivation. Contaminated water sample analyses have shown that arsenic in the form of arsenite [As(III)] is prevalent. Compared with arsenic in the form of arsenate [As(V)], As(III) is reported to be more mobile and more toxic. The contaminated groundwater constitutes the sole source of drinking water for 12 to15 million people in West Bengal who use hand pumps to draw water from scattered wells. The effects of arsenic accumulation in the human body are well-documented – skin lesions and disorders of the circulatory and nervous system. Among the impacted villagers, clinical manifestations of arsenic poisoning include hyperkeratosis and hyper pigmentation in palms and soles, arsenical dermatitis, skin cancers, as well as gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Current evidence indicates that symptoms of arsenicosis developed after years of ingestion of arsenic contaminated water. The crisis in West Bengal unfolded over many years, and its solution would
By
Dr. Arun Deb
Vice President (Retired), Weston Solutions, Inc.
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Introduction and Background
West Bengal, a state in Eastern India is very rich in groundwater and more than 80 percent of its populations tap this source as drinking water. In West Bengal, and in the neighboring nation of Bangladesh, a health crisis of devastating proportions has been quietly unfolding over many years. Much of the groundwater underlying the Upper Deltaic plain between the Bhagirathi River in West Bengal and the Padma River in Bangaladesh has been contaminated by arsenic concentrations exceeding the permissible limit of 0.05 mg/L arsenic concentrations most often ranged from 0.09 to 3.2 mg/L. Arsenic occurrence in the regions aquifers has been attributed to geological factors. Arsenic mobilization in the water may have been caused by over withdrawal of groundwater during cultivation. Contaminated water sample analyses have shown that arsenic in the form of arsenite [As(III)] is prevalent. Compared with arsenic in the form of arsenate [As(V)], As(III) is reported to be more mobile and more toxic. The contaminated groundwater constitutes the sole source of drinking water for 12 to15 million people in West Bengal who use hand pumps to draw water from scattered wells. The effects of arsenic accumulation in the human body are well-documented – skin lesions and disorders of the circulatory and nervous system. Among the impacted villagers, clinical manifestations of arsenic poisoning include hyperkeratosis and hyper pigmentation in palms and soles, arsenical dermatitis, skin cancers, as well as gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Current evidence indicates that symptoms of arsenicosis developed after years of ingestion of arsenic contaminated water. The crisis in West Bengal unfolded over many years, and its solution would