Geogenic Contamination

Featured Articles
July 5, 2022 Studies reveal that children are the most vulnerable to the health risks associated with groundwater contamination due to nitrate and fluoride, highlighting the need for urgent remedial measures.
POisoned waters, dangerous outcomes (Image Source: India Water Portal)
August 26, 2021 This study from Rajasthan found that anthropogenic factors led to nitrate contamination of groundwater. High nitrate levels in drinking water posed major health risks to children.
A well in Rajasthan (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
March 3, 2021 Need to remove arsenic from the food chain and not just drinking water in endemic areas
Median excess lifetime cancer risk of 2 per 10,000 from food arsenic exposure in Bihar. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
October 25, 2019 Groundwater use has doubled in Pune. Comprehensive mapping of groundwater resources and better management and governance is the need of the hour.
Groundwater, an exploited resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
July 25, 2019 A young college graduate shares his experience working with Tata Trusts in Assam on water issues.
Stream Network in Tezpur, Assam. Image credit: Rohit Sar
Hi-tech vs low-tech in the water sector in the village of Dandiganahalli near Bangalore - Article by S. Vishwanath
Dandiganahalli, very close to Bangalore, has a problem of high TDS in its water, meaning the water is too salty and brackish. Worse still it has Fluoride in it. The video explores appropriate means of dealing with this issue. Posted on 28 Jun, 2011 05:40 PM

Ever since Schumacher wrote his now very, very famous book small is there has in my mind been a question of the appropriateness of the solutions we urban educated types posit for rural ‘problems’.

Chemical characteristics responsible for the higher concentration of fluoride in groundwater - A paper in Springer Science
This paper by N Subba Rao in Springer Science deals with the problem of high fluoride groundwater. Posted on 21 Jun, 2011 01:42 PM

Fluoride is essential for normal bone growth, but its higher concentration in drinking water poses great health problems and fluorosis is common in many parts of India.

Multi-district assessment of water safety (M-DAWS) in Gujarat - A study by Water and Sanitation Management Organisation
This report survey assesses the condition of drinking water quality in the Gujarat in the context of severe water shortages. Posted on 15 Jun, 2011 12:08 PM

WASMOThis report by the Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO) is based on the analysis of Multi-District Assessment of Water Safety (M-DAWS) carried out in 8 districts of Gujarat (Vadodara,Valsad, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Kachchh, Surat, Ahmedabad and Dangs) , where ensuring adequate and safe drinking water to the people has been looked upon as a huge challenge needing urgent action during years 2007 and 2008 .

The Multi-District Assessment of Water Safety (M-DAWS) programme was undertaken by Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO) with financial and technical support from UNICEF.

Fluorosis in an urban slum area of Nalgonda - Andhra Pradesh - An epidemiological study - Indian Journal of Public Health
This paper describesa study undertaken in Nalgonda to explore the impact of a new water source, the water from the Nagarjunsagar dam. Posted on 07 Jun, 2011 10:09 AM

.

Flouride problem in Guttavarepalle village, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh - A field report by Arghyam and Outreach
Arghyam and Outreach try to solve the problem of fluoride contamination found in both groundwater and surface water sources in in Andhra Pradesh Posted on 31 May, 2011 12:07 PM

 

 

Overview

It is surprising that fluoride was found even in surface water bodies like ponds, because fluoride is generally found in deep aquifers. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral in the deeper layers of rock beneath the earth's surface, so it was unusual to find it at such high levels even in surface water sources, leading to the conclusion that intensive agriculture in the area has spread the fluoride to the surface.

New research centre for applied groundwater research at the University of Guelph in Ontario Canada, dives into uncharted waters
Ninety-six per cent of the world’s fresh water is groundwater yet, despite hundreds of years of scientific study, mysteries remain. Posted on 19 May, 2011 10:42 PM

How exactly do contaminants spread underground? How much urban stress can an aquifer withstand?

With the need for clean fresh water growing daily, finding answers to those questions is a top priority for researchers at G360, the new Centre for Applied Groundwater Research at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

The real picture of arsenic pollution in West Bengal, India
I visited three arsenic affected districts of West Bengal while making a documentary on arsenic pollution in drinking water in West Bengal. Posted on 17 May, 2011 11:34 AM

 Arsenic poisoning in these districts is a serious environmental problem and is affecting the health of millions of people in the State. The problem has been aggravated with increase in groundwater exploitation leading to leaching of arsenic located in upper layers of sediment down into the deep aquifers.

During my visits to these districts, I have had dreary experiences -

Water quality in Penukonda region of Anantapur district - A field report by Arghyam
A team from Arghyam recently visited an NGO called SEDS - Social Education and Development Society in the district of Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh. Posted on 16 May, 2011 06:23 PM

Introduction

 SEDS approached Arghyam to seek advice on the quality of drinking water in the area. Anantpur is the second most drought-prone area in India, and a lot of work has been done to deal with the water supply situation by the Government of Andhra Pradesh as well as NGOs and charities such as SEDS and the Sai Baba Trust, to name a few. There seems to be an adequate supply of water in the district, but very little or no attention has been paid to the quality of water.

 

 

Guidelines for water safety plans for rural water supply systems - A document by SIAES and WHO India (2009)
Delivery of safe drinking water is vital for protecting public health and of promoting more secure livelihoods. Posted on 20 Apr, 2011 01:10 AM

HandpumpDelivery of safe drinking water is vital for protecting public health and of promoting more secure livelihoods.

The traditional approach to water quality and safety management has relied on the testing of drinking water, as it leaves the treatment works or at selected points, either within the distribution system or at consumer taps. It is referred to as ‘end‐product testing’.

Arsenic and chromium hyper-accumulation by an ecotype of Pteris vittata - Possibility of remediation of contaminated water and soil – A paper in Current Science
The remediation of arsenic and chromium contaminated soil and water has become an important environmental issue. Posted on 14 Apr, 2011 08:04 PM

Pteris vittataThis study by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute published in Current Science was carried out to identify Pteris vitta and test its hyper-accumulating properties. The plant is commonly known as the Ladder brake fern or Chinese brake fern plant in India, and had been reported elsewhere as an arsenic hyper-accumulator.

.The remediation of arsenic and chromium contaminated soil and water has become an important environmental issue. It is in this context that the discovery of hyper-accumulator plant species, which have the unusual ability of accumulating metals such as arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) to very high concentrations, has further boosted technologies based on this property.

This is the first report of characterization of arsenic accumulation in an Indian ecotype (plant), which also shows chromium hyperaccumulation in addition to arsenic. Intact plantlets were grown in 20 per cent Hoagland solution amended with up to 200 mg arsenic or chromium medium. Plants absorbed and accumulated a significant amount of arsenic and chromium in their biomass with high bio-enrichment factor. Arsenic and chromium tolerance by spores and gametophytes under in-vitro was also assessed.

×