DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2014.v02i05.005

Pages: 341-344

The Arsenic contamination of groundwater has recently been reported from Sahibganj, Jharkhand, which is one of the most backward tribal dominated districts of India, causing immense hardships to the poor inhabitants of this area. The element arsenic is introduced into soil and groundwater during weathering of rocks and minerals followed by subsequent leaching and runoff. It can also be introduced into soil and groundwater from anthropogenic sources. These sources are localized and therefore, important in some geologic settings like recent alluvium in Gangatic Basin. The Ganga Meghna Brahmaputra Basin of which Sahibganj Dist. Is one of the worst Arsenic affected region of India. It occupies 569749 sq. km of area and about 500 million people are at risk and may develop various stages of arsenic poisoning, due to non-availability of safe drinking water. Long term exposure through drinking Arsenic contaminated water causes skin, lung, bladder and kidney cancer as well as pigmentation changes, hyperkeratosis, neurological disorders, muscular weakness, loss of appetite, and nausea. To provide for safe drinking water to the poor, the available technologies for water treatment are prohibitively costly as well as beyond the reach of rural people. The present study was undertaken to develop cost effective technique for water purification in Arsenic endemic zones of Sahibganj Dist. where laterite soil is naturally abundant as the cap rock in Rajmahal Traps. In this study Laterite soil has been tested as an adsorbent and proved to be a promising low– cost mitigation technique to bring Arsenic in drinking water within the permissible limits.