Newsletter
Arsenic contamination in ground water: Effect on human capital - A literature review
Adrian Newsletter
July-September Vol. 1 Issue 1-2018
Water, the epitome of life, defines all form of existence, be it for plants, animals, and social humans. However, with growing population and depleting groundwater, it is fast becoming scarce. The quality of groundwater is also questionable, with hoards of pollutants including biological, toxic, and other wastes feeding into it. Groundwater contamination is persistent across India and affects over 500 million people across 23 districts of India. (1). Bihar and West Bengal are the worst affected in India, with respect to ground water contamination, and specific arsenic contamination (defined as the occurrence of high arsenic (0.05 mg/l) in groundwater). It is estimated that the total vulnerable population in Bihar alone is about 10.4 million people, across four districts along the banks of river Ganga (1).