Recent Trends of Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater of Ballia District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Arsenic in the ground water is a worldwide problem as about 150 million people are at risk and more than 70 countries are suffering from this havoc. Arsenic is a carcinogen and responsible of various types of cancers. India is also having this problem in some parts including Ballia District, UP. The overall objective of this study to study the mitigation of arsenic by using chemical data and GIS application. 100 samples were collected from deep, medium and shallow aquifer twice in pre-monsoon (April, 2010) and post-monsoon seasons (December, 2010). The samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometer and correlated with geological features. The correlation between arsenic contamination with geological features and seasonal variation were analyzed by GIS. The Arsenic concentrations in shallow, medium and deep aquifers were 14-820, 30-450 and 6-300 ppb in pre-monsoon. But in post-monsoon these values were 13-950, 10-600 and 2-500 ppb, respectively. The seasonal variations were analyzed indicating high arsenic concentrations in post-monsoon season. These results indicated that arsenic mitigation is from shallow to medium and deep aquifers. The concentration of arsenic is found in all blocks of the study area. There was evidence of seasonal variation in concentrations of arsenic between pre and post-monsoon seasons. The concentrations of arsenic were higher in post- monsoon than pre-monsoon due to insufficient rainfall during study year.