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High levels of arsenic found in groundwater in Uttar

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FRIDAY, 24 JANUARY 2020 17:06

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Study nds 2.34 crore people in rural UP exposed to high levels of arsenic in groundwater
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Arsenic concentration in groundwater of Uttar Pradesh shown by blue, green and red circles. Image courtesy: India All you need to know about arsenic in water
Science Wire

New Delhi, May 30 (India Science Wire): A new study has found that as many as 2.34 crore people in rural areas
of Uttar Pradesh are exposed to high levels of arsenic in groundwater.

A total of 40 districts in the state are exposed to high concentration of arsenic in groundwater. Balia, Barabankhi,
Gorakhpur, Ghazipur, Gonda, Faizabad and Lakhimpur Kheri are the worst a ected districts. Majority of them are
in the oodplains of Ganga, Rapti and Ghaghara rivers. Ten other districts with moderate risk of arsenic
contamination are Shahjahanpur, Unnao, Chandauli, Varanasi, Pratapgarh, Kushinagar, Mau, Balrampur, Deoria
and Siddharthnagar.

About 78 percent of the population in the state lives in rural areas and depends on ground water for irrigation,
drinking, cooking and other domestic use. Risk of exposure to arsenic is much higher in rural areas than cities as
piped water supply is not available in most villages.

Groundwater samples were tested using arsenic testing kits and ndings were then validated in laboratories. In
all, 1680 groundwater samples from di erent regions of the state were analysed. Using these inputs,
researchers developed a map of arsenic-a ected regions re ecting the risk due to arsenic contamination.

Twenty parameters that a ect arsenic levels in groundwater such as land cover, aquifer depth, chemical and
biological structure of soil, drainage system, etc. were evaluated.

"The risk map indicates the need for a widespread testing of wells in various regions of Uttar Pradesh. It could be
helpful in reducing long-term exposure of people residing in highly populated clusters to arsenic. Within these
identi ed regions, districts like Ballia, Varanasi, Gazipur, Gorakhpur, Faizabad, and Deoria are evidently
experiencing a public health crisis due to arsenic exposure," said Dr. Chander Kumar Singh, who led the study at
the TERI School of Advanced Studies, while speaking to India Science Wire.

Natural contamination of groundwater with arsenic poses a health threat in many regions where people rely on
hand pumps or tube wells for drinking water. Arsenic exposure causes skin lesions, skin cancer, bladder, lungs and
cardiovascular diseases as well as reduced intellectual function in children.

Apart from Dr. Singh, his research student Sonal Bindal was involved in the study. The study results have been
published in the journal Water Research. (India Science Wire)

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Topics
Contamination, Pollution and Quality Geogenic Contamination Arsenic Groundwater Deep Aquifers

Health

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News and Articles

Regions
Political Uttar Pradesh

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