Arsenic chemistry in groundwater in the Bengal Delta Plain Implications in agricultural system

Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science. Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya,
Mohanpur-741 252, Nadia, India
E-mail : sarojsanyal @hotmail.com;                 sarojsanyal@ yahoo.co. in
Manuscript received 22 September 2004

Arsenic (As) is of great environmental concern due to extensive contamination of groundwater in the Bengal delta basin with this toxin, thereby causing carcinogenic toxicity to millions of people. Soil contamination with arsenic input through the vehicle of contaminated groundwater, being used for irrigation, may prove detrimental to plant through its uptake to the toxic level. Indeed, the possibility of such toxin entering the human food web, along with biomagnification up in the food chain, through plant uptake of arsenic is of immediate concern. In this regard, chemistry of arsenic in groundwater-soil-plant system, its forms and distribution in soil, mobilization pattern and complexation behaviour, among others, are emerging areas requiring sustained research attention. The several remedial options to contain the toxic effect of arsenic in the soil-water-crop-human continuum also need to be evolved and tested. The present article gives an overview of these aspects while summarizing selected research findings of relevance of the present authors.