<strong>Mitigation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Remedy</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Groundwater</strong> <strong>Arsenic</strong> <strong>Menace</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>India</strong> : A Vision DocumentTable 4.2: Scheme wise coverage <strong>and</strong> estimated cost <strong>of</strong> the schemes planned to cover forthe arsenic affected areas under JPOA (Jo<strong>in</strong>t Plan <strong>of</strong> Actions) with UNICEF.Sl. no. Type <strong>of</strong> schemeNo. <strong>of</strong>schemesPopulationNos. <strong>of</strong> Mouzaas per 2001covered. census ,(lakh)Populationcovered(lakh)Estimated Cost(Rs. lakh)1 Surface water based scheme 8 1266 38.510 58.875 125420.3823New groundwater basedscheme with ARPNew groundwater basedscheme without ARP361 1579 44.710 68.97 74976.0721 39 0.924 1.433 1380.074ARP <strong>in</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>g groundwater based scheme165 663 28.840 36.62 8269.23TOTAL 555 3547 112.984 165.898 210045.754.1.7 Ra<strong>in</strong> Water Harvest<strong>in</strong>g/Watershed ManagementRa<strong>in</strong> water harvest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> conserv<strong>in</strong>g, by appropriate conservation structure t<strong>of</strong>acilitate collection on ground or recharg<strong>in</strong>g to aquifer <strong>in</strong> order to use it later, is be<strong>in</strong>g practicedsuccessfully <strong>in</strong> many water scarce regions <strong>of</strong> the country. Ra<strong>in</strong> water harvest<strong>in</strong>g, by watershedmanagement practices <strong>in</strong> arsenic affected areas, where groundwater withdrawal has been restrictedby overexploitation <strong>of</strong> the aquifer, can prove to be a promis<strong>in</strong>g alternative for manag<strong>in</strong>gwater dem<strong>and</strong>. This approach, besides <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g surface water accumulation <strong>and</strong> reduction <strong>of</strong>stresses on the use <strong>of</strong> groundwater, will enhance to recharge the underneath aquifer, that <strong>in</strong> turnwill arrest decl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> groundwater table. Water conservation, by this practice, will also requirefiltration <strong>and</strong> dis<strong>in</strong>fections before put <strong>in</strong>to use for public supply. Artificial recharge <strong>of</strong> ra<strong>in</strong> water<strong>in</strong>to overexploited/ overstressed aquifers through suitable recharg<strong>in</strong>g structures may also be afavorable proposition for permissible hydro-geological conditions.4.1.8 Social Responses <strong>and</strong> ImpactsSocial responses, <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> socio-economic, socio-culture <strong>and</strong> socio-compositestructure consequent to the affect <strong>of</strong> groundwater arsenic contam<strong>in</strong>ation, <strong>in</strong> the arsenic <strong>in</strong>festedareas have not been worked out quantitatively <strong>in</strong> scientific terms. Few non-governmentalorganizations have made some qualitative analyses, which are as follows:• Number <strong>of</strong> arsenic <strong>in</strong>fected patients was more <strong>in</strong> the past (dur<strong>in</strong>g eighties & early part<strong>of</strong> n<strong>in</strong>eties) as compared to the number be<strong>in</strong>g reported <strong>in</strong> the later periods.• Economically under privileged persons <strong>in</strong> the arsenic affected areas are more affected.This could be because <strong>of</strong> their low <strong>in</strong>take <strong>of</strong> prote<strong>in</strong> & vitam<strong>in</strong> through food items.NIH & CGWB 69
<strong>Mitigation</strong> <strong>and</strong> Remediation Update from West Bengal <strong>and</strong> Bihar : Studies <strong>and</strong> Projects InitiatedSupply <strong>and</strong> usages <strong>of</strong> arsenic free water, <strong>and</strong> the awareness, generated through variouscampaigns <strong>and</strong> awareness programmes, are help<strong>in</strong>g people <strong>in</strong> the affected areas toovercome the adverse impact on their health to a large extent.• Earlier people suffer<strong>in</strong>g from arsenic related diseases used to get <strong>in</strong>different treatmentfrom the rest <strong>of</strong> the people <strong>in</strong> the area as the disease was considered to be an <strong>in</strong>fectiousone. Based on this baseless apprehension that prevailed for a long time, even the marriage alliance to a family, hav<strong>in</strong>g arsenic patient, was rejected. Gradually, with the help<strong>of</strong> social <strong>and</strong> health awareness programmes, people started believ<strong>in</strong>g that the disease ispurely water borne <strong>and</strong> not <strong>in</strong>fectious; this <strong>in</strong> turn, helped people to re-store socialacceptability .• With the help <strong>of</strong> awareness programmes <strong>and</strong> water quality analysis facilities, people canbe identified hav<strong>in</strong>g arsenic related disease by the local health workers. They can alsodifferentiate the tube wells yield<strong>in</strong>g arsenic free water with blue mark.4.2 Bihar<strong>Groundwater</strong> arsenic contam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> Bihar first surfaced <strong>in</strong> the year 2002 from twovillages, Barisbhan <strong>and</strong> Semaria Ojhapatti <strong>in</strong> the Bhojpur district located <strong>in</strong> the flood-prone belt <strong>of</strong>Sone-Ganga. A number <strong>of</strong> scientific studies, focus<strong>in</strong>g ma<strong>in</strong>ly on physicochemical analyses <strong>of</strong>arsenic contam<strong>in</strong>ated groundwater, assessment <strong>of</strong> extent, mobilization pathways, <strong>and</strong> possibility<strong>of</strong> tapp<strong>in</strong>g deeper aquifers, arsenic <strong>in</strong> food cha<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> its effect on health, were <strong>in</strong>itiated by state<strong>and</strong> Central government organizations <strong>and</strong> by different academic <strong>in</strong>stitutions work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> theState. In addition to R & D studies <strong>and</strong> exhaustive <strong>in</strong>vestigations, Govt. <strong>of</strong> Bihar, has started anumber <strong>of</strong> schemes, as the precautionary measures to ensure supply <strong>of</strong> risk-free potablegroundwater particularly, <strong>in</strong> community based localities, <strong>and</strong> as counteractive steps to combatprobable arsenic related threats. As an outcome <strong>of</strong> scientific <strong>in</strong>vestigations <strong>and</strong> surveys, by 2008,out <strong>of</strong> 38 districts <strong>in</strong> the state, 15 districts cover<strong>in</strong>g 57 blocks, have been identified as groundwaterarsenic contam<strong>in</strong>ation above 50 µg/L. No studies, so far, have been <strong>in</strong>itiated, exclusively onarsenic mitigation, except deriv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>sight <strong>of</strong> tapp<strong>in</strong>g alternative arsenic-safe aquifers <strong>and</strong>underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> physicochemical <strong>and</strong> hydrogeological behaviors <strong>of</strong> arsenic contam<strong>in</strong>atedgroundwater. F<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the studies carried out by CGWB-MER, Patna are givenbelow:(i)From <strong>in</strong>vestigations, carried out to underst<strong>and</strong> the pattern <strong>and</strong> extent <strong>of</strong> arsenicdistribution <strong>in</strong> groundwater, physicochemical constituents <strong>of</strong> groundwater, lithologiccharacteristics <strong>and</strong> hydraulic properties <strong>of</strong> the aquifer materials, <strong>in</strong> the arsenic affectedareas, it is observed that spatial variability <strong>in</strong> arsenic contam<strong>in</strong>ation have patch<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong>distribution around the affected wells (H<strong>and</strong> Pumps), with depth wise variation with<strong>in</strong>top 50m bgl. Only newer alluvial deposits are found to have been arsenic affected, <strong>and</strong>the Pliestocene deposits are free from arsenic contam<strong>in</strong>ation. In the Sone-Ganga <strong>in</strong>tefluves region cover<strong>in</strong>g Bhojpur <strong>and</strong> Buxar districts, the deeper aquifer <strong>of</strong> depth ranges70NIH & CGWB
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