Arsenic groundwater contamination and suffering

Ganga-Meghna Brahmaputra || West Bengal || Bangladesh || Middle Ganga Plain, Bihar || Uttarpradesh
Jharkhand || North-East Hilly States || Rajnandgaon, Chattisgarh || Behala, Kolkata, WB || As toxicity- Homeopathic Treatment
Effectiveness & Reliability - As Field Testing Kits || Utility Of Treatment Plant
Causes, Effects & Remedies - Groundwater As Calamity || References

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[G] Physical parameters and present arsenic status in Begusarai district of Bihar

Physical parameters	Begusarai
Area in sq. km	1918
Population in million (according to 2001 Census)	2.34
Total number of water samples analyzed	594
% of samples having arsenic > 10 mg/L	50.84
% of samples having arsenic > 50 mg/L	30.47
% of samples having arsenic > 300 mg/L *	13.80
% of samples having arsenic > 500 mg/L	7.91
Maximum arsenic concentration so far we analyzed (mg/L )	1397
Total number of block	18
No. of block surveyed	3
Number of arsenic affected block (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	3
Number of Gram - Panchayet surveyed	5
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	5
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	5
Number of village surveyed	8
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	8
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	8
Total hair, nail and urine samples analyzed	51
Arsenic above normal level (average) in biological samples	85
People screened for arsenic patients (preliminary survey)	186
Number of registered patients with clinical manifestations	24

[H] Physical parameters and present arsenic status in Bhagalpur district of Bihar

Physical parameters	Bhagalpur
Area in sq. km	2,570
Population in million (according to 2001 Census)	2.430
Total number of water samples analyzed	1806
% of samples having arsenic > 10 mg/L	21.65
% of samples having arsenic > 50 mg/L	14.40
% of samples having arsenic > 300 mg/L *	4.21
% of samples having arsenic > 500 mg/L	1.66
Maximum arsenic concentration so far we analyzed (mg/L )	1187
Total number of block	16
No. of block surveyed	5
Number of arsenic affected block (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	5
Number of Gram - Panchayet surveyed	17
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	10
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	14
Number of village surveyed	36
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	17
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	24
Total hair, nail and urine samples analyzed	15
Arsenic above normal level (average) in biological samples	91
People screened for arsenic patients (preliminary survey)	50
Number of registered patients with clinical manifestations	8

[I] Physical parameters and present arsenic status in Chapara district of Bihar

Physical parameters	Chapara
Area in sq. km	2,641
Population in million (according to 2001 Census)	3.25
Total number of water samples analyzed	1045
% of samples having arsenic > 10 mg/L	25.07
% of samples having arsenic > 50 mg/L	14.26
% of samples having arsenic > 300 mg/L *	4.21
% of samples having arsenic > 500 mg/L	2.11
Maximum arsenic concentration so far we analyzed (mg/L )	762
Total number of block	21
No. of block surveyed	5
Number of arsenic affected block (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	3
Number of Gram - Panchayet surveyed	10
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	5
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	7
Number of village surveyed	23
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	13
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	16
Total hair, nail and urine samples analyzed	NA
Arsenic above normal level (average) in biological samples	NA
People screened for arsenic patients (preliminary survey)	NA
Number of registered patients with clinical manifestations	NA

*During our last 20 years field experience in West Bengal and 10 years in Bangladesh we have observed that ingestion of arsenic contaminated water with 300 mg/L for prolonged period may cause arsenical skin lesions. We also described in our earlier paper.

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