Groundwater–soil–crop relationship with respect to arsenic contamination in farming villages of Bangladesh – A preliminary study

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 156; no. 2; pp. 563 - 565
• Main Authors: Kurosawa, Kiyoshi, Egashira, Kazuhiko, Tani, Masakazu, Jahiruddin, M., Moslehuddin, Abu Zofar Md, Rahman, Zulfikar Md
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agriculture; Applied sciences; arsenic; Arsenic - analysis; Bangladesh; bioaccumulation; Biological and medical sciences; Colocasia - chemistry; Colocasia esculenta; Concentration; Crops, Agricultural; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Exact sciences and technology; Farmyard; Food Contamination - analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; groundwater contamination; Groundwaters; Natural water pollution; Non agrochemicals pollutants; Paddy field; paddy soils; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Pollution; Pollution effects and side effects of agrochemicals on crop plants and forest trees. Other anthropogenic factors; Pollution effects. Side effects of agrochemicals; Pollution, environment geology; Soil - analysis; soil pollution; soil-plant interactions; taro; Taro leaves; Tubewell; villages; Water Supply - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Bangladesh; Asia; Taro leaves; Paddy field; Concentration; Farmyard; Tubewell; Monocotyledones; Arsenic; Cultivated soil; Soil pollution; Transport process; Trophic chain; Angiospermae; Transfer factor; Cultivated plant; Ground water; Pollutant behavior; Agricultural soil; Colocasia esculenta; Trace element; Araceae; Vegetable crop; Water quality; Spermatophyta; Water pollution; Soil plant relation
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2008.02.009

To clarify the groundwater–soil–crop relationship with respect to arsenic (As) contamination, As concentration was measured in tubewell (TW) water, surface soil from farmyards and paddy fields, and fresh taro ( Colocasia esculenta) leaves from farmyards in the farming villages of Bangladesh. The As concentration in TW water from farmyards was at least four times higher than the Bangladesh drinking water standard, and the concentration in fresh taro leaves was equal to or higher than those reported previously for leafy vegetables in Bangladesh. As concentration of surface soils in both farmyards and paddy fields was positively correlated with that of the TW water. Further, the concentration in surface soil was positively correlated with levels in fresh taro leaves in the farmyard. This study, therefore, clarified the groundwater–soil–crop relationship in farmyards and the relationship between groundwater–soil in paddy fields to assess the extent of As contamination in Bangladeshi villages. By extracting arsenic contaminated groundwater from a well, surface soil surrounding the well and crops planted in the surface soil became contaminated with arsenic.