Spatial Analysis of Arsenic Groundwater Contamination: Bangladesh

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Spatial Analysis of Arsenic Groundwater
Contamination Bangladesh

• Danielle Eastman
• 12-4-06

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Background

• Most severe arsenic problem in the world.
• Shallow wells installed
• Area147,570 km2
• Population 128 million people

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• Natural source of Arsenic
• WHO drinking standard 10 ug/L
• Bangladesh standard 50 ug/L
• 97 drinking water is contaminated
• 80 of population at risk to poisoning

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Objectives

• Identify spatial variations in arsenic, iron, and
  sediment types.
• Is there a relationship between sediment type and
  arsenic levels?
• What is the relationship between iron and
  arsenic?
• What is the influence of the major river systems
  that run through Bangladesh?
• Can these relationships support the hypothesis of
  arsenic mobilization and transport suggested by
  the BGS, as well as others?

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Approach

• Create Basemap
• Create shapefiles of borehole data.
• Join borehole data with basemap
• Create maps of chemistry and geology based on
  borehole data
• Used query information and spatial patterns to do
  analysis

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Implications

• Arsenic and iron concentrations do not reflect
  hypothesis about iron being a sink for arsenic.
• The geology map gives a general idea of the
  influence of geology, but smaller scale analysis
  must be done to show the relationship between
  geology and arsenic.

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References

• Al-Muyeed, Abdullah, and Afrin, Rumana.
  Investigation of the efficiency of existing iron
• and arsenic removal plants in Bangladesh. (2006).
  Journal of Water Supply Research and Technology,
  55 (4). 293-299.
• British Geologic Survey (BGS) Natural
  Environmental Research Council. (2006) Water
• Quality Data Retrieved November 15, 2006, from
  the groundwater arsenic problem in Bangladesh
  (phase 2) Website http//www.bgs.ac.uk/arsenic/ba
  ngladesh/datadownload.htm
• ESRI. (2006). Map of Bangladesh. Retrieved
  November 15, 2006, from GIS and
• Mapping Software Website http//arcdata.esri.com/
  data_downloader/DataDownloader?part10200
• Hassan, M. Manzurul, Atkins, Peter J., and Dunn,
  Christine E. Social implications of
• arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh. (2005). Social
  Science and Medicine, 61. 2201-2211.
• Hossain, M. F. Arsenic Contamination in
  Bangladesh-An Overview. (2006). Agriculture,
• Ecosystems, and Environment, 113, 1-16.
• Hossain, Faisal and Sivakumar, Bellie. Spatial
  pattern of arsenic contamination in
• shallow wells of Bangladesh regional geology and
  nonlinear dynamics. (2005) Stochastic
  Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 20.
  66-76.
• Mukhopadhyay, Basap, Mukherjee, P. K.,
  Bhattacharya, Debkumar, and Sengupta, S.
• Delineation of arsenic-contamination zones in
  Bengal Delta, India a geographic information
  system and fractal approach. (2006).
  Environmental Geology, 49. 1009-1020.

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