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Hydrogeochemistry and Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in the Haor Basins of Bangladesh

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Abstract

Hydrogeochemical relationships and the level of arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater in the Haor Basin, a low-lying, semi-natural, region of remnant wetland environs to the northeast of Bangladesh, were studied to assess the As biogeochemical cycling. Most of the shallow and deep tubewells in the study area are contaminated with As (2–331 μg/l). The relatively higher proportions of Na+ (8–156 mg/l) in groundwater suggest a mixing of connate marine water with freshwater aquifer. Non-significant association between As and \(\mathrm{PO}_{4}^{3-}\) has been found. Highly significant (P<0.001) relationship of As with DOC in groundwater indicates biodegradation of organic matter, creating an overall reducing environment in the aquifer sediments, which facilitates the release of As in the groundwater. The inverse As–Fe, As–Mn, As–Ca and As–Mg relationships in groundwater could be related to the precipitation of Fe-, Mn-, Ca- and Mg-minerals.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for providing the fund for this work and the Bangladesh–Australia Centre for Environmental Research, University of Dhaka and the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Bangladesh for their help during sample collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK

    M. Tanvir A. Chowdhury, Andrew A. Meharg, Claire Deacon & Gareth J. Norton

  2. Bangladesh–Australia Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh

    M. Tanvir A. Chowdhury

  3. Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202, Bangladesh

    Mahmud Hossain

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  1. M. Tanvir A. Chowdhury
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  2. Andrew A. Meharg
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Correspondence to M. Tanvir A. Chowdhury.

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Chowdhury, M.T.A., Meharg, A.A., Deacon, C. et al. Hydrogeochemistry and Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in the Haor Basins of Bangladesh. Water Qual Expo Health 4, 67–78 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-012-0066-y

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