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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[J] Physical parameters and present arsenic status in Khagaria district of Bihar

Physical parameters	Khagaria
Area in sq. km	1,486
Population in million (according to 2001 Census)	1.27
Total number of water samples analyzed	1174
% of samples having arsenic > 10 mg/L	43.87
% of samples having arsenic > 50 mg/L	7.92
% of samples having arsenic > 300 mg/L *	0.17
% of samples having arsenic > 500 mg/L	0.17
Maximum arsenic concentration so far we analyzed (mg/L )	941
Total number of block	7
No. of block surveyed	1
Number of arsenic affected block (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	1
Number of Gram - Panchayet surveyed	3
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	3
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	3
Number of village surveyed	14
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	10
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	11
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

[K] Physical parameters and present arsenic status in Lakhisarai district of Bihar

Physical parameters	Lakhisarai
Area in sq. km
Population in million (according to 2001 Census)	0.81
Total number of water samples analyzed	837
% of samples having arsenic > 10 mg/L	3.82
% of samples having arsenic > 50 mg/L	2.27
% of samples having arsenic > 300 mg/L *	0.36
% of samples having arsenic > 500 mg/L	0.12
Maximum arsenic concentration so far we analyzed (mg/L )	760
Total number of block	7
No. of block surveyed	2
Number of arsenic affected block (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	2
Number of Gram - Panchayet surveyed	8
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	3
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	5
Number of village surveyed	16
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	5
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	7
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

[L] Physical parameters and present arsenic status in Samstipur district of Bihar

Physical parameters	Samstipur
Area in sq. km	2,904
Population in million (according to 2001 Census)	3.41
Total number of water samples analyzed	899
% of samples having arsenic > 10 mg/L	37.82
% of samples having arsenic > 50 mg/L	16.68
% of samples having arsenic > 300 mg/L *	6.90
% of samples having arsenic > 500 mg/L	5.33
Maximum arsenic concentration so far we analyzed (mg/L )	2100
Total number of block	21
No. of block surveyed	2
Number of arsenic affected block (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	2
Number of Gram - Panchayet surveyed	9
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	8
Number of arsenic affected GP (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	9
Number of village surveyed	20
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 50 mg/L	16
Number of arsenic affected villages (approx.) where groundwater arsenic above 10 mg/L	19
Total hair, nail and urine samples analyzed	107
Arsenic above normal level (average) in biological samples	87 %
People screened for arsenic patients (preliminary survey)	320
Number of registered patients with clinical manifestations	37

*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.

Abstract of the paper ," Arsenic Groundwater Contamination in Middle Ganga Plain, Bihar, India: A Future Danger- Dipankar Chakraborti, et. al Environmental Health Perspectives, 2003, 111(9): 1194-1201."

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