Showing papers by "Dipankar Chakraborti published in 1999"

Arsenic poisoning in the Ganges delta

Abstract: We have been studying the contamination of groundwater by arsenic and the attend-ant human suffering in West Bengal, India, for a decade, and in Bangladesh for the past four years. From our analysis of thousands of samples of water and sediment1,2,3,4,5,6,7, we have been able to test the course of events proposed by Nickson et al.8 to account for the poisoning of Bangladesh groundwater. We disagree with Nickson et al.'s claim that arsenic concentrations in shallow (oxic) wells are mostly below 50 μg per litre. In our samples from Bangladesh (n=9,465), 59% of the 7,800 samples taken at known depth and containing arsenic at over arsenic 50 μg per litre were collected from depths of less than 30 m, and 67% of the 167 samples with arsenic concentrations above 1,000 μg per litre were collected from wells between 11 and 15.8 m deep.

Groundwater Arsenic Contamination and Suffering of People in Bangladesh

Abstract: Publisher Summary The total area and population of Bangladesh are 148,393 km2 and 120 million respectively. To date, 9089 water samples collected from 60 districts have been analyzed and arsenic (As) concentrations in 41 districts have been found to be above 50 μg/l. The area and population of these 41 districts are 89,186 km2 and 76.9 million respectively. This does not mean the total population in these 41 districts are drinking contaminated water and suffering from aresenicosis, but no doubt they are at risk. About 3000 each of hair and nail samples from people living in As-affected villages (including patients) have so far been analyzed and 97% of the hair samples contain aresenic above the toxic level and 95% of the nail samples contain above the normal level. Out of the 41 districts where As has been found above 50 μg/l authors have, so far, 22 districts have been surveyed for arsenicosis patients, and in 21 districts people suffering from As-induced skin lesions have been identified.

Groundwater Arsenic Contamination and Sufferings of People in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh

Abstract: Groundwater is becoming the major source of drinking water around the world, especially in developing countries, to avoid microbial and chemical contamination from surface water. Another reason of wide use of groundwater is that because of its easy access and economic viability. Not only is groundwater being used for drinking, but for farmers in many developing countries like India, Bangladesh groundwater is their main source of irrigation. These countries have achieved a green revolution with the help of underground water. Earlier, India and Bangladesh could get only one crop a year, and that too was rain dependent. But now usually 3/4 crops in a year are common and the source of water for irrigation lies underground. Irrigation in West Bengal and Bangladesh using groundwater was first started around the sixties. In both these countries, there is no groundwater withdrawal regulation. As a result, groundwater exploitation goes on unchecked. In Bangladesh and West Bengal more than 95% of the Rural Water Supply Schemes (RWSS) depend on underground water. Dhaka (population abut 11 million) is the only city in the world where more than 97% of the domestic water requirement comes from underground water sources.

Possible Arsenic Contamination Free Groundwater Source in Bangladesh

Abstract: The groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh is a phenomenon of surface ero- sion, transportation and deposition in the form of Delta and ∼lood Plain. While dealing with such geomorphological units like Tableland, Flood Plain, Delta and Hill Tract in Bangladesh, we have found the possibility of having huge arsenic contaminattion free groundwater reservoir in selected areas in Bangladesh. The results presented are the outcome of our last 5 years, field survey analysing for arsenic of water of twentyfive thousand eight hundred ninetyseven hand tubewells in sixtyfour districts of Bangladesh comprising four existing geomorphological regions (a) Deltaic region (including coastal region), (b) Flood Plain, (c) Tableland and (d) Hill Tract. In this report, we will highlight (1) the area in Bangladesh where groundwater is not arsenic contaminated and the' possibility to use shallow hand tubewells as potential groundwater resource for drinking purpose and (2) arsenic contaminations scenario of deep tubewells (above 100 meters) all over Bangladesh and suitable depth in arsenic contaminated area to get safe water.