Abstract
High concentrations of arsenic (As) in groundwater are among the long-standing environmental problems on the planet. Due to adverse impacts on the human and aquatic system, characterization and quantification of individual inorganic As species are crucial in understanding the occurrence, environmental fate, behaviour, and toxicity in natural waters. This study presents As concentration and its speciation As(III) and As(V) data, including the interrelationship with other major and trace aqueous solutes from parts of the Ghaghara basin, India. More than half (57%) of the groundwater samples exhibited elevated As concentrations (> 10 μg/L), whereas 67.4% of samples have higher As(III) values relative to As(V), signifying a potential risk of As(III) toxicity. The elevated concentration of As was associated with higher Fe, Mn, and HCO3−, especially in samples from shallow well depth. PHREEQC modeling demonstrates the presence of mineral phases such as hematite, goethite, rhodochrosite, etc. Therefore, it is inferred that the release of As from sediment particles into pore water via microbially mediated Fe/Mn oxyhydroxides, and As(V) reduction processes mainly control high As concentrations. The heavy metal pollution indices (HPI) and (HEI) values revealed heavy metal pollution in low-lying areas deposited by relatively younger sediments along the Ghaghara River. Large-scale agricultural practices, overexploitation of groundwater, and indiscriminate sewage disposal, in addition to geogenic factors, cannot be ruled out as potential contributors to As mobilization in the region. This study recommends conducting seasonal hydrogeochemical monitoring and investigating regional natural background levels of As, to precisely understand the controlling mechanistic pathways of As release.
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The analysed data which supports the findings of this study are available in the material of this article and available from the corresponding author on request.
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Acknowledgements
IK acknowledges the fellowship and support received through Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship (No.F.4-2/2006(BSR)/ES/20-21/0012, [University Grants Commission (UGC), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India] at the Department of Geology, AMU, Aligarh. We also thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that improve the clarity of the manuscript.
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IK acknowledges financial support from the University Grants Commission (UGC), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India in the form of Dr. D.S. Kothari postdoctoral Fellowship (No. F. 4-2/2006(BSR)/ES/20-21/0012).
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IK Conceptualization, Methodology, Software; Writing- Original draft preparation; MUK Methodology, Writing-Reviewing and Editing; RU Supervision, Writing- Reviewing and Editing; NR Methodology.
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Khan, I., Khan, M.U., Umar, R. et al. Occurrence, speciation, and controls on arsenic mobilization in the alluvial aquifer system of the Ghaghara basin, India. Environ Geochem Health 45, 7933–7956 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01691-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01691-9