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Arsenic contamination in groundwater of moribund delta of Bengal basin: Quantitative assessment through adsorption kinetics and contaminant transport modelling

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Abstract

The similarity in average concentration (55 µg/L) of dissolved arsenic in groundwater of active and inactive (moribund) parts of the Ganges–Meghna–Bramhaputra (GMB) delta provokes further research in the domain. The soil–water system of the moribund deltaic region of the western Bengal basin no longer receives arsenic-laced sediments from Himalayan provenances, unlike the active part of the GMB delta. Supply from agricultural and industrial sources is almost absent. Notwithstanding, the problem of arsenic contamination in groundwater in the study area is still persistent even today. The present study, based on adsorption experiments and numerical modelling (HYDRUS-1D software) based on the moribund deltaic region of the Western Bengal basin, suggests that groundwater-based irrigation systems establish a continuous loop of arsenic recycling from soil to groundwater and vice versa to sustain the problem of contamination in the region. The results show that the indigenous silty soils can leach up to 1000 µg/L of arsenic almost throughout the year (325 days), even when the concentrations of arsenic in soils are within the normal range (2.9–3.5 mg/kg). The role of pH, Eh, soil organic carbon (SOC), thickness of the vadose zone and the adsorptive capacity of the soils towards arsenic has been quantified.

Research highlights

  • The mechanism that sustains and aggravates the problem of groundwater arsenic contamination in the moribund deltaic region has been suggested and the loop of arsenic built up and release acting within the soil-water system of the moribund delta has been deciphered.

  • Role of irrigation practices upon arsenic dynamics assessed through adsorption studies and contaminant transport model has been deciphered.

  • Role of pH, Eh and SOC in arsenic mobilization are quantified.

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Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the anonymous reviewers for their efforts to enhance the quality of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Durgapur, 713 209, India

    Rhitwik Chatterjee, Kalyan Adhikari & Shraddha Bharti

  2. School of Water Resources, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721 302, India

    Rupal Sinha

  3. Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority, Chandigarh, 160 017, India

    Ujjal Mal

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  1. Rhitwik Chatterjee
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study's conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Rhitwik Chatterjee, Rupal Sinha, Shraddha Bharti and Ujjal Mal. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Rhitwik Chatterjee and was edited by Prof Kalyan Adhikari. Prof Kalyan Adhikari supervised the entire research and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kalyan Adhikari.

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Communicated by Ramananda Chakrabarti

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Chatterjee, R., Adhikari, K., Sinha, R. et al. Arsenic contamination in groundwater of moribund delta of Bengal basin: Quantitative assessment through adsorption kinetics and contaminant transport modelling. J Earth Syst Sci 133, 86 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-024-02275-6

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