Groundwater Arsenic Contamination and Associated Health Hazards in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh, India

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Animal Sciences, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, Kangra, H.P., India

2 Department of Zoology, Nagaland University, Lumami, Nagaland, India

10.22059/poll.2024.378398.2431

Abstract

Groundwater arsenic contamination is a global problem. Many states of India are extensively polluted with arsenic, while a few have safe groundwater. Himachal Pradesh is still considered safe from groundwater arsenic contamination. Assessment of water quality and arsenic contamination in groundwater and its associated health hazards in the people of Kangra district. 300 samples were collected from all 17 blocks of Kangra and analyzed for arsenic, TDS, pH, and Depth of water source. Arsenic was analyzed through Merck's field test kits. TDS and pH were analyzed using standards protocol. A questionnaire-based health survey was carried out for health assessment. It was observed that the arsenic levels were above 10 ppb in 4.66% of samples. Khundian tehsil had a mean arsenic level of 25.83 ± 30.59 ppb, while Jawalamukhi had 10.38 ± 13.14 ppb. It was also observed that deep water sources have higher arsenic levels than shallow sources. TDS levels were also above the WHO limit in 24% of samples, and TDS was higher in deeper groundwater than in shallow sources. Groundwater pH levels were 5.78 in Bhawarna and 9.4 in Baijnath. 7.66% were reported with hypertension 3.32% with G.I. disorders, 3.66% with diabetes, 2.33% are showing skin diseases, and almost 7.66% are showing stone formation in the kidney and gall bladder. Kangra had groundwater arsenic contamination in 4.52% of samples. Cases of hypertension, diabetes, and stone formation were more than seven percent in people with chronic arsenic exposure.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Abdul, K. S. M., Jayasinghe, S. S., Chandana, E. P. S., Jayasumana, C., & De Silva, P. M. C. S. (2015). Arsenic and human health effects: A review. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 40(3); 828–846.
Basu, A., Sen, P., & Jha, A. (2015). Environmental arsenic toxicity in West Bengal, India: A brief policy review. Indian Journal of Public Health, 59(4); 295.
Centeno, J. A., Tchounwou, P. B., Patlolla, A. K., Mullick, F. G., Murakata, L., Meza, E., TodorTodorov, D. L., & Yedjou, C. G. (2006). Environmental pathology and health effects of arsenic poisoning. Managing Arsenic in the Environment: From Soil to Human Health, 311–327.
CGWB. (2023). Ground Water Quality in Shallow Aquifer Central Ground Water Board , Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry of Jal Shakti. 247. https://www.cgwb.gov.in/cgwbpnm/public/uploads/documents/17068003031756689658file.pdf
Chakraborti, D., Rahman, M. M., Das, B., Chatterjee, A., Das, D., Nayak, B., Pal, A., Chowdhury, U. K., Ahmed, S., & Biswas, B. K. (2017). Groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects in India. Hydrogeology Journal, 25(4); 1165–1181.
Dirisu, C. G., Mafiana, M. O., Dirisu, G. B., & Amodu, R. (2016). Level of pH in drinking water of an oil and gas producing community and perceived biological and health implications. European Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 3(3).
Flora, S J S. (2020). Preventive and therapeutic strategies for acute and chronic human arsenic exposure. Arsenic in Drinking Water and Food, 341–370.
Flora, Swaran J S. (2011). Free Radical Biology & Medicine Arsenic-induced oxidative stress and its reversibility. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 51(2); 257–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2011.04.008
Ganguly, A., Chaudhuri, R. R., & Sharma, P. (2015). Analysis of trend of the precipitation data: a case study of Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh. International Journal of Research–Granthaalayah, 3(9); 87–95.
Ghosh, N. C., & Singh, R. D. (2009). Groundwater arsenic contamination in India: vulnerability and scope for remedy. Tecnical Paper Included in the Special Session on Ground Water in the 5th Asian Regional Conference of INCID. https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:5773264
Gomez-Caminero, A., Howe, P. D., Hughes, M., Kenyon, E., Lewis, D. R., Moore, M., Aitio, A., Becking, G. C., & Ng, J. (2001). Arsenic and arsenic compounds. World Health Organization.
Guillot, S., & Charlet, L. (2007). Bengal arsenic, an archive of Himalaya orogeny and paleohydrology. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 42(12); 1785–1794.
Huang, H.-W., Lee, C.-H., & Yu, H.-S. (2019). Arsenic-induced carcinogenesis and immune dysregulation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(15); 2746.
Hubaux, R., Becker-Santos, D. D., Enfield, K. S. S., Rowbotham, D., Lam, S., Lam, W. L., & Martinez, V. D. (2013). Molecular features in arsenic-induced lung tumors. Molecular Cancer, 12(1); 1–11.
Lan, C.-C., Yu, H.-S., & Ko, Y.-C. (2011). Chronic arsenic exposure and its adverse health effects in Taiwan: A paradigm for management of a global environmental problem. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 27(9); 411–416.
Liu, F. F., Wang, J.-P., Zheng, Y.-J., & Ng, J. C. (2013). Biomarkers for the evaluation of population health status 16 years after the intervention of arsenic-contaminated groundwater in Xinjiang, China. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 262; 1159–1166.
Magalona, M. L., Peralta, M. M., Lacsamana, M. S., Sabularse, V. C., Pelegrina, A. B., & De Guzman, C. C. (2019). Analysis of Inorganic Arsenic (As (III) and Total As) and Some Physicochemical Parameters in Groundwater Samples from Selected Areas in Bulacan, Batangas, and Laguna, Philippines. KIMIKA, 30(2); 28–38.
Manna, P., Sinha, M., & Sil, P. C. (2008). Protection of arsenic-induced testicular oxidative stress by arjunolic acid. Redox Report, 13(2); 67–77.
Mukherjee, Abhijit, Verma, S., Gupta, S., Henke, K. R., & Bhattacharya, P. (2014). Influence of tectonics, sedimentation and aqueous flow cycles on the origin of global groundwater arsenic: paradigms from three continents. Journal of Hydrology; 518, 284–299.
Mukherjee, Amitava, Sengupta, M. K., Hossain, M. A., Ahamed, S., Das, B., Nayak, B., Lodh, D., Rahman, M. M., & Chakraborti, D. (2006). Arsenic contamination in groundwater: a global perspective with emphasis on the Asian scenario. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition; 142–163.
Nickson, R. T., McArthur, J. M., Shrestha, B., Kyaw-Myint, T. O., & Lowry, D. (2005). Arsenic and other drinking water quality issues, Muzaffargarh District, Pakistan. Applied Geochemistry, 20(1); 55–68.
Popoola, L. T., Yusuff, A. S., & Aderibigbe, T. A. (2019). Assessment of natural groundwater physico-chemical properties in major industrial and residential locations of Lagos metropolis. Applied Water Science, 9(8), 1–10.
Rahman, M. M., Ng, J. C., & Naidu, R. (2009). Chronic exposure of arsenic via drinking water and its adverse health impacts on humans. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 31(1), 189–200.
Ramesh, K., & Vennila, S. (2012). Hydrochemical analysis and evaluation of groundwater quality in and around Hosur, Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu, India. International Journal of Research in Chemistry and Environment (IJRCE), 2(3), 113–122.
Ratnaike, R. N. (2003). Acute and chronic arsenic toxicity. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 79(933), 391–396.
Reddy, P. S., Rani, G. P., Sainath, S. B., Meena, R., & Supriya, C. H. (2011). Protective effects of N-acetylcysteine against arsenic-induced oxidative stress and reprotoxicity in male mice. Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 25(4), 247–253.
Rehman, K., & Naranmandura, H. (2012). Arsenic metabolism and thioarsenicals. Metallomics, 4(9), 881–892.
Sarfraz, M., Sultana, N., & Tariq, M. I. (2018). Assessment of groundwater quality and associated health risks in rural areas of Sindh (Pakistan). Studia Chemia, 63(1), 125–136.
Shahid, M., Khalid, M., Dumat, C., Khalid, S., Niazi, N. K., Imran, M., Bibi, I., Ahmad, I., Hammad, H. M., & Tabassum, R. A. (2018). Arsenic level and risk assessment of groundwater in Vehari, Punjab Province, Pakistan. Exposure and Health, 10(4), 229–239.
Shaji, E., Santosh, M., Sarath, K. V, Prakash, P., Deepchand, V., & Divya, B. V. (2021). Arsenic contamination of groundwater: A global synopsis with focus on the Indian Peninsula. Geoscience Frontiers, 12(3), 101079.
Shankar, S., & Shanker, U. (2014). Arsenic contamination of groundwater: a review of sources, prevalence, health risks, and strategies for mitigation. The Scientific World Journal, 2014.
Shrivastava, A., Ghosh, D., Dash, A., & Bose, S. (2015). Arsenic contamination in soil and sediment in India: sources, effects, and remediation. Current Pollution Reports, 1(1), 35–46.
Singh, A. L., Singh, V. K., & Srivastava, A. (2013). Effect of arsenic contaminated drinking water on human chromosome: A case study. Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, 28(4), 422–425.
Smedley, P. L., & Kinniburgh, D. G. (2002). A review of the source, behaviour and distribution of arsenic in natural waters. Applied Geochemistry, 17(5), 517–568.
Srilatha, M. C., Rangaswamy, D. R., & Sannappa, J. (2014). Studies on concentration of radon and physicochemical parameters in ground water around Ramanagara and Tumkur districts, Karnataka, India. Int J Adv Sci Tech Res, 2(4), 641–660.
Stanger, G. (2005). A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 27(4), 359–368.
Villaescusa, I., & Bollinger, J.-C. (2008). Arsenic in drinking water: sources, occurrence and health effects (a review). Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 7(4), 307–323.
World Health Organisation. (2011). Guidelines for drinking-water quality. WHO Chronicle, 38(4), 104–108.
World Health Organisation. (2003). Total dissolved solids in Drinking-water: background document for development of WHO guidelines for drinking-water quality. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wash-documents/wash-chemicals/tds.pdf?sfvrsn=3e6d651e_4.