Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
Volume 175, Issue 1-4, Pages 331-348Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-010-1535-z
Keywords
Middle Ganga Plain; Arsenic contamination; Hydraulic properties; Arsenic-safe aquifer; Newer Alluvium; Bihar State
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Arsenic groundwater contamination exceeding 0.05 mg/l affecting the Newer Alluvial tracts of Patna and Bhojpur, the two worst affected districts located in the Middle Ganga Plain in the Bihar state, has been studied The area is underlain by two-tier Quaternary aquifer systems within a depth of 300 m below ground level, separated by a 15-32-m-thick clay/sandy clay aquitard. The upper part (< 50 m depth) of the shallow aquifer system is arsenic-contaminated. The deeper aquifer system (lying below 120-130 m depth) exhibits low arsenic load (max 0.0035 mg/l), having hydraulic conductivity between 64.88 and 82.04 m/day. Groundwater in the deeper aquifer occurs under semi-confined to confined condition due to poor hydraulic conductivity of the middle clay (4.7 x 10 (-aEuro parts per thousand 2) -aEuro parts per thousand 7.2 x 10 (-aEuro parts per thousand 3) m/day). Hydraulic head of the deeper aquifer remains close to the surface than the shallow aquifer. The two aquifer systems in the Newer Alluvium are replaced by a thick single aquifer system in the adjoining Older Alluvium, within a depth of 330 m below ground. In the arsenic-contaminated area, deeper aquifer is protected by a middle clay, which may be developed for community drinking water supply by deep tube wells having a yield capacity of 150 m(3)/h.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available