Status and mitigation of arsenic contamination in groundwater in India

Abstract

High arsenic concentrations in groundwater in different states of India have become a major cause of concern in recent years. The groundwater in the past was considered to be safe for drinking purposes, but now it is recognized that many shallow tube wells contain arsenic at concentrations higher than the safe limit set for drinking purpose by WHO (1993). It is becoming an emerging issue in the water supply and health related sectors of India. The purpose of this paper is to review the recent status of arsenic in groundwater in India and present various methods suitable to be adopted in mitigating its adverse effects on human health.