Arsenic Level and Risk Assessment of Groundwater in Vehari, Punjab Province, Pakistan

Arsenic (As) contamination in different areas of the world has been reported, which poses serious health threats to humans by its different routes of exposure. There exists comparatively rare data regarding arsenic level in groundwater of Punjab, Pakistan, which is normally used for drinking purpose. Therefore, the present study was planned to assess the contamination of arsenic in the drinking water of district Vehari in Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 156 drinking water samples were taken from different previously unexplored (rural and urban) areas. Various groundwater sources (electric pump, hand pump, and tube well) were targeted at different depths (50-350 ft) of the three tehsils (Burewala, Vehari, Mailsi) of district Vehari. Drinking water samples were subjected to measurement of the arsenic level, as well as other parameters of water were also checked including pH, electrical conductivity, chloride, cations, carbonates, and bicarbonates. It was found that 95% of groundwater samples were unfit for drinking purpose, because some areas of district Vehari were found with arsenic levels higher than World Health Organization (WHO) safe limit of As (10g/L) in drinking water. Arsenic-induced health risks were also estimated with respect to average daily dose, hazard quotient, and carcinogenic risk for the people who were relying on arsenic-rich groundwater for drinking purpose. It is found that the people of district Vehari are at the serious carcinogenic health risk. This study highlights that urgent management and monitoring measures are imperative for the people in the study area, in order to minimize the arsenic-mediated health effects, as well as to develop effective remediation strategies for arsenic-contaminated drinking water.