Appropriate Arsenic Mitigation Strategies for Rural Bihar Ashok Ghosh A.N.College, Patna 1
Arsenic Global Distribution High arsenic release by Mining Activity - Anthropogenic High arsenic concentration in groundwater - Geogenic 2
Origin of arsenic crisis in Indian subcontinent [switching from surface water to underground water]
Arsenic Map of Bihar - 2002 West Champaran East ChamparanSheohar Gopalganj Sitamarhi Madhubani Muzaffarpur Siwan Darbhanga Saran Buxar Kaimur Bhojpur Vaishali Samastipur Patna Jehanabad Rohtas Supaul NalandaSheikhpura Gaya 1ArsenicAffected District www.ancollege.org Purnia Khagaria Munger Lakhisarai Nawada Aurangabad M adhepura Saharsa Begusarai Jamui Kishanganj Araria Bhagalpur Banka Katihar
Arsenic Map of Bihar -2004 West Champaran Sheohar East Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Sitamarhi Supaul Muzaffarpur Siwan Darbhanga Saran Buxar Kaimur Bhojpur Rohtas Vaishali Samastipur Patna Jehanabad Nalanda Sheikhpura Munger Bhagalpur Lakhisarai Gaya 2 Arsenic Affected Districts www.ancollege.org Purnia Khagaria Nawada Aurangabad Madhepura Saharsa Begusarai Banka Jamui Kishanganj Araria Katihar
ArsenicMap of Bihar -2005 West Champaran East Sheohar Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Sitamarhi Muzaffarpur Siwan Darbhanga Saran Buxar Kaimur Bhojpur Rohtas Supaul Vaishali Samastipur Patna Jehanabad Gaya 4Arsenic Affected Districts www.ancollege.org Purnia Khagaria NalandaSheikhpura Munger Lakhisarai Nawada Aurangabad Madhepura Saharsa Begusarai Jamui Kishanganj Araria Bhagalpur Banka Katihar
ArsenicMap of Bihar -2007 West Champaran East ChamparanSheohar Gopalganj Sitamarhi Madhubani Muzaffarpur Siwan Darbhanga Saran Buxar Kaimur Bhojpur Rohtas Supaul Vaishali Samastipur Patna Jehanabad Nalanda Sheikhpura Munger Lakhisarai Nawada Aurangabad Gaya 12ArsenicAffectedDistricts www.ancollege.org Madhepura Purnia Saharsa Begusarai Khagaria Katihar Bhagalpur Banka Jamui Kishanganj Araria
ArsenicMap of Bihar -2009 West Champaran East Sheohar Champaran Gopalganj Madhubani Sitamarhi Muzaffarpur Siwan Darbhanga Saran Buxar Kaimur Bhojpur Vaishali Samastipur Patna Jehanabad Rohtas Supaul Gaya 16ArsenicAffected Districts www.ancollege.org Purnia Khagaria NalandaSheikhpura Munger Lakhisarai Nawada Aurangabad Madhepura Saharsa Begusarai Jamui Kishanganj Araria Bhagalpur Banka Katihar
ArsenicMap of Bihar -2011 West Champaran Sheohar East Champaran Gopalganj Sitamarhi Madhubani Muzaffarpur Siwan Darbhanga Saran Buxar Kaimur Bhojpur Rohtas Vaishali Samastipur Patna Jehanabad Begusarai Nalanda Sheikhpura Gaya 18 ArsenicAffectedDistricts Purnia Khagaria Munger Lakhisarai Katihar Bhagalpur Banka Jamui Kishanganj Araria Madhepura Saharsa Nawada Aurangabad Supaul
BIHAR - Play Ground of Ko s i NEPAL Rivers Arsenic in Bihar l A si o K l ia v u l n a F Be Gang Indian Craton ng al Ba si n Two highly contaminat ed zones
Population Exposed to arsenic laced water in Bihar Bihar shows a large spatial variability in arsenic concentration in the upper 50 m of Holocene fluvial sediments in the Ganges channel belt. As per our database an estimated 24% of the population of Bihar is exposed directly or indirectly to arsenic-contaminated drinking and irrigation water.
BIHAR FINDINGS 36,680 hand pumps tested -35% had arsenic contaminated water of >10 ppb. Highest As. Value Recorded 1861 ppb A total of 18 Bihar districts (< 65 blocks) are affected by high level of arsenic in the groundwater Trivalent arsenic 87 % in ground water of Bihar Worst-affected districts are Bhojpur, Bhagalpur, Buxar, Patna, Vaishali, Khagaria and Hand Pump with Arsenic Concentration Samastipur. of 1861 ppb
Bihar Findings. Considerable differences exist in the hydro-geochemistry between the different geologic/geomorphic terrains Younger Alluviums (80%) and Himalayan Piedmonts (75%) have the most As contaminated groundwater Pre-Cenozoic samples don t have any As >5 µ g/l Groundwater in all terrains are mostly Ca-HCO3 type Pre-Cenozoic Metamorphic and Younger Alluviums have the highest concentrations of Ca and HCO3 Younger Alluviums are more influenced by carbonate dissolution than Silica weathering
Bihar Findings.. Younger Alluviums and Himalyan Piedmonts have higher concentrations of redox-sensitive solutes (e.g As, Fe, Mn, NH4) Fe(II) and As(III) are the predominant Fe and As species in all terrains Younger Alluviums only show possible genetic relationship between Fe(II) and As(III) The groundwater in all terrains are probably in equilibrium with surface water stable isotope chemistry
Maize:Total As - 0.24 ug As g-1 Rice - 0.36 ug As g-1 Arsenic in food chain of Bihar Food Chain Irrigation Tube well =As 980 ppb
Arsenic Ingestion Routes Drinking Water Irrigation Water Food Chain Burning Cowdung Cake
Consequences of arsenicosis (Health ) Health consequences Dermatological Respiratory Gastrointestinal Cardiovascular Hepatic Neurological Haematological Renal Mutagenesis Reproductive Cancer Mental health
Gift of home coming Keratosis Keratosis am Ashan Panday Ex Army Man Developed Symptoms after his www.ancollege.org Return to native village - Panday Tola,Bhojpur
Diffuse and Spotted Keratosis on Palm www.ancollege.org
Gift of home coming Keratosis www.ancollege.org Kisan Panday Ex army man developed symptoms after his return to native village,pandaytola, Bhojpur six years ago.
Low Blood Pressure and Anemic Wife of Munna Panday [25 years old with 4 children] Arsenicosis with low Blood Pressure Panday Tola, Bhojpur,Bihar www.ancollege.org
Arsenicosis with Low BP Aunty of Munna Panday [45 years] Panday Tola,Bhojpur,Bihar www.ancollege.org And Anaemia Panday Tola,Bihar
Hypertension Depression Anuj Panday of Panday Tola with early symptom of arsenicosis has very high BP and depression - due to uncertain future?? www.ancollege.org
Arsenic Patients BhaglpurKahalgaon www.ancollege.org
Arsenic Patients Khagaria www.ancollege.org
Arsenic Patients BhaglpurPirpainti www.ancollege.org
Management of arsenicosis Arsenic free safe water Dietary Supplement and anti-oxidant fruits/vegetables/protein is important along with application of ointment (5 20% Urea and salicylic) Complicated cases like skin cancer, ulcer, gangrene needs specialized medical and surgical management Social, economic and physical rehabilitation. Mass community awareness and support to develop community based rehabilitation system.
Arsenic Mitigation Options
Arsenic mitigation strategies and sustainability Options Pond Rainwater harvesting Dug well Surface Rain Sub-surface Pollution Accessibility Acceptability Collection Preservation Seasonal variability Water source Problems Bacterial contamination Acceptability Feasibility Low Low Better
Arsenic mitigation strategies and Options Deep tube well Piped water Arsenic removal filters Water source Deep aquifers Deep aquifers/treated Surface water Arsenic contaminated water Problems Uncertain Expensive Expensive No infrastructure Effectiveness? Expensive Environmentally problematic Feasibility Better but. Low Better
Most of mitigation strategies have failed in Bihar REDUNDENT RAINWATER HARVESTING UNIT DEFUNCT OVERHEAD TANK TO TAP REDUNDENT RESTORED SAFE AQUIFER OPEN WELL Arsenic Removal community Filters - Defunct
Rs.53 Crore GoB initiative in Bhojpur Ganga Water supply after treatment Dependent on electric power, a scarce commodity in Bihar Ganga is shifting from its current location as per our studies Ganga River Piped Water Scheme launched by GoB at Bhojpur www.ancollege.org
All of afore-mentioned schemes, though well-conceived, could not be sustained The required structures for these mitigation schemes are being constructed randomly, and are insufficient for the dense population. Water quality monitoring units exist at Panchayat level, but there is a lack of follow-up action and lack of communication between the Panchayats. Hence the concept of a decentralised, demand driven water quality initiatives is being compromised. Failure of the authorities to undertake monitoring and maintenance work in the post-construction phase has rendered the projects defunct. District-level water quality monitoring laboratories are not well equipped.
All of afore-mentioned schemes There is a lack of awareness and sensitization to arsenic contamination, and lack of ownership among the largely illiterate population. These factors have been the biggest contributory factors towards the absence of public participation in these government schemes. Community mobilisation is the sole answer to proper implementation of these schemes, in which private ownership is to be promoted.
Sustainable arsenic mitigation technologies for rural population [possible alternatives]
Possible alternative I: Gravity driven filter Gravity Driven Filter not dependent on electricity Adsorbent based filter developed by Aquapal,Sweden Easy to maintain Easy to operate 7 liters/hour Reduces arsenic from 600 ppb to > 10 ppb Low cost Household level water
Possible alternative II: community-based wellhead arsenic removal unit Adsorption based technology
Developed and Tested by Lehigh University, USA & A.N. College, Patna A. N. College, Patna with the help of Lehigh University in Bethlehem has installed a community-based wellhead arsenic removal unit in a remote village of Bihar Ramnagar, Maner The unit is based on adsorption technology developed by Lehigh University, USA. The project has been funded by Tagore - Sen Gupta Foundation. This unit is serving about 200 households of this village with approximately 7,000 litres of treated water produced per day, supplying nearly 1,000 villagers with arsenic-safe water. This unit can provide water without requiring electricity or external addition of chemicals.
Possible alternative III -Arsenic remediation by decentralized Reverse Osmosis treatment 39
Arsenic Remova l- Double RO system 98 % Arsenic Removal 98 % Iron Removal Abbildung 7: Wasserversorgungssystem Bind Toli [5] Arsenic reduction throughout the system, Bind Toli Iron reduction throughout the system, Bind Toli 40
Possible Alternative III- TRADITIONAL DUGWELLS Courtesy : Vishwanath Srikantaiah
Dug Well in arsenic free zone Dugwell AQUIFER - 1 (unconfined) <50 feet AQUIFER - 2 Arsenic Contaminated AQUIFER - 3 Arsenic Free
TRADITIONAL DUGWELLS PROPERLY SANITIZED [Project Well Initiative]
Interior of the dugwell The pvc pipe is shortened after insertion The delivery pipe is flexible for self adjustable water level
Possible Alternative IV- Bore-dugwell & Borewell Bore-dugwell pvc pipe length - 20ft Borewell pvc pipe length - 30ft dia (both have 10 ft of filter/perforated pipe)
The Peer Water Exchange Addresses This Challenge 2011 Peer Water Exchange 46
UNRESOLVED ISSUES RELATING TO ARSENIC CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER SOURCES Research into Arsenic speciation, mobilization largely fragmented and repetitive Almost entire investigation into the hydro-geological aspects of arsenic contaminated aquifers have been confined to Bengal basin, the geological variations along the entire river basins warranting immediate attention. Lack of knowledge and medical infrastructure relating to diagnosis and treatment of arsenicosis. Lack of comprehensive database on arsenic contaminated aquifers and its implications Lack of maintenance and monitoring of mitigation structures Lack of Community Participation in arsenic mitigation
YES Water resource matters because survival of this civilization matters! THANKS