Arsenic Pollution in the Ground Water in Bangladesh: An Overview

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Safiullah, Syed

Affiliations: Department of Chemistry, Jahangirnagar University Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh

Abstract: Arsenic contents of surface sediments vary in the range 6–40 mg/kg; fine sand and sediments tend to have higher levels of arsenic than coarser fractions. From the mapping done so far about 60% of area in Bangladesh is affected by the arsenic problem. Of all the tried and tested methods of arsenic removal, adsorption-filtration seems to be more cost effective and user-friendly. Comparative studies indicate that filters made of hydrated ferric oxide (HFO) based porous materials are by far the most efficient filters and also the safest. Since Bangladesh has very large number of rivers, arsenic is likely to show up its presence in environment where rivers are very active.

Keywords: Arsenic, Bangladesh, population, water, disaster

Journal: Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 47-59, 2007