Targeting arsenic-safe aquifers for drinking water supplies.
At present, 70 countries worldwide are affected by groundwater contamination by arsenic (As) released from predominantly geogenic sources. Consequently, the As problem is becoming a global issue. The option to target As-safe aquifers, which uses geological, geochemical, hydrogeological, morphological and climatic similarities to delimit As-safe aquifers, appears as a sustainable mitigation option. Two pilot areas, Meghna Flood Plain in Matlab Upazila, representative of Bengal Delta in Bangladesh, and Río Dulce Alluvial Cone, representing a typical aquifer setting in the Chaco-Pampean Plain in Argentina groundwater As occurrence, were compared. In rural Bangladesh, As removal techniques have been provided to the population, but with low social acceptance. In contrast, "targeting As-safe aquifers" was socially accepted in Bangladesh, where sediment color could be used to identify As-safe aquifer zones and to install safe wells. The investigation in Argentina is more complex because of very different conditions and sources of As. Targeting As-safe aquifers could be a sustainable option for many rural areas and isolated peri-urban areas.
Bundschuh
Jochen
J
Institute for Applied Research, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Moltkestrasse 30, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany.
Litter
Marta I
MI
Bhattacharya
Prosun
P
D001118:Argentina; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D001459:Bangladesh; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005843:Geography; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014881:Water Supply
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water; D001151:Arsenic