Mitigation and Remedy of Groundwater Arsenic Menace in India

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Mitigation and Remedy of Groundwater Arsenic Menace in India : A Vision DocumentIt appears that the model over estimates the actual risk of skin cancer than it actuallyexists. This over estimation could be due to the conservative assumptions made in the model.Melanosis and Keratosis are considered as 1st & 2nd stages of Arsenicosis, which may turn intoskin cancer if Arsenic ingestion continues. The primary identification of Arsenicosis is generallydiagnosed by the visible symptoms of Arsenic related skin lesions. In Bangladesh, health surveyshave been conducted in 58 upazilas covering about 12% of the population. The prevalence ofArsenical skin lesions has been found to be 0.086%, which is much lower than the estimatedexcess skin cancer risk at the present level of contamination in the country. The data of thehealth survey also presents a rather poor relationship between prevalence of Arsenical skinlesions and average Arsenic content in the tube well water. Limited information is available,regarding the disease burden due to arsenicosis in West Bengal. In an epidemiological surveycarried out by Dr. Guha, Majumdar et al (1998), in one of the affected districts of West Bengal(South 24 Parganas), where 7683 people were examined in 57 arsenic affected villages, theprevalence of arsenical skin lesion was found to be 4.6%. Further, Saha (2003) reported theincidence of arsenic related cancer to be 5.1%, among 4865 cases of arsenicosis examination,during the period of 1983 to 2000. However, the data of the former study represents informationin a highly exposed region of the state, while the later data were compiled from cases, examinedin a tertiary referral centre and some scattered survey, carried out in the affected districts of thestate.(Source: Dr. K.C. Saha, Ex-Prof. of Dermatology, School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta)Figure 7.1: Increasing malignancy due to Arsenic contamination in West BengalNIH & CGWB 131
Work Ahead: Critical Concerns and Key ChallengesExisting situations suggest that considerable knowledge gap exists, in respect of Health Impactof Arsenic contamination of groundwater in India. Dept. of Health & Indian Council of MedicalResearch should consider undertaking an Epidemiological Survey in all the affected states, withadequate sample size to find out the prevalence of Arsenicosis among the affected populationand correlate the same, if possible with the Arsenic concentration in the well water. Moreeffective collaboration and co-ordination is necessary between the Departments. of Health,Panchayat & Rural Development, Public Health Engineering to assess the health risk,associated with Arsenic in groundwater and plan mitigatory measures.7.3.2 Arsenic Contamination in Agriculture: A Threat to Water - Soil- Crop- Animal - Human ContinuumEfforts are being aimed at ensuring safe drinking-water, either through mitigationtechniques or through finding alternative sources of water. Even if supply of an arsenic-freedrinking-water is ensured, arsenic-contaminated groundwater will continue to be used forirrigation purposes, posing a significant risk of this toxic element accumulating in the soil and,consequently, entering into the food-chain through plant uptake and consumption by animals andhumans. Thirty to forty percent net cultivable land is under irrigation, and more than 60% of thisirrigation is met from groundwater. Thus, the risk of arsenic-contaminated water, being used, ishigh.During the past 10 years, researchers have mainly focused on ingestion of arsenic throughcontaminated drinking-water, but the incidence of Arsenicosis, in the population, is not consistentwith the concentration of arsenic in drinking-water, obtained from groundwater. The figurebelow depicts the findings of a study in Bangladesh, which highlights the lack of correlationbetween the arsenic concentration in tube well water and arsenic related skin lesions, amongstthe population using the same.Figure 7.2: Relationship between arsenical skin lesion and average arsenic content indrinking water.132NIH & CGWB
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe Government of In
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nearly 33 villages in 4 districts i
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(iii) Whether ex-situ removal techn
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6.4 Experiences during Arsenic Remo
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List of FiguresFigure no. Figure ca
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List of TablesTable no. Table Capti
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Mitigation and Remedy of Groundwate
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Mitigation and Remedy of Groundwater Arsenic Menace in India

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