The joint DPHE-BGS project 'Groundwater studies of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh' began in January 1998. The project was funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). One of the main aims of the project was to assess the scale of the groundwater arsenic problem in order to aid the rapidly developing arsenic mitigation programme. A second aim was to increase our understanding of the origins and behaviour of arsenic in Bangladesh aquifers. These aims were subsequently expanded to include a broader range of hydrochemical parameters.
In order to meet these objectives, hydrochemical surveys were undertaken at various scales — national, upazila and village. Two national-scale surveys were undertaken: (i) a systematic survey of 61 of the 64 districts of Bangladesh involving the collection of 3534 tubewell samples, and (ii) a survey of 113 tubewells from the national water quality monitoring network maintained by the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). Three upazilas (the sadar upazilas of Nawabganj, Faridpur and Lakshmipur districts) were also selected as Special Study Areas for a broader range of investigations. In one of these upazilas, a single mouza or village (Mandari, Lakshmipur) was selected for a detailed survey using on-site arsenic analysis with an Arsenator. A limited amount of monitoring (time series) data have also been collected from tubewells and piezometers in the three Special Study Areas.
The project was undertaken in two Phases. Phase I was undertaken jointly with Mott MacDonald Ltd. A Summary of the Phase 1 findings is available. The principal findings of Phase 2 were presented at a Workshop in Dhaka on 30 March 2000.
Phase 2 details can be accessed by following the links on the left margin menu or by accessing the full report directly from the download page.
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Use of material from the BGS and DPHE project 'Arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh'
Permission for reproduction of materials contained in these web pages is granted subject to the inclusion of the following acknowledgement:- 'This material was produced by the British Geological Survey and the Department of Public Health Engineering (Bangladesh) undertaking a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Any views expressed are not necessarily those of DFID'. In cases where only a map or diagram is reproduced or where data from the report are used, the above acknowledgement may be substituted by a full citation to the report as follows:
BGS AND DPHE, 2001
Arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh
KINNIBURGH, D G and SMEDLEY, P L (Editors)
British Geological Survey Technical Report WC/00/19
British Geological Survey, Keyworth.
Disclaimer
The data and findings presented here were generated by the British Geological Survey, undertaking a project under the auspices of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The views expressed are not necessarily those of DFID.
