International Research Journal of Environment Sciences________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414Vol. 4(11), 83-86, November (2015) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 83 Review PaperArsenic Pollution Scenario in Eastern UP, India: A Review Pandey Namrata*, Lehri Alok, Sonali Mehrotra and Srivastava J.B.Central Instrumental Facility (CIF), National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, UP, INDIA Civil Engineering Department, Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), UPTU, Lucknow, UP, INDIAAvailable online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me Received 5th August 2015, revised 23rd September 2015, accepted 5th November 2015 AbstractIn recent decades, arsenic pollution is being reported from the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh State after than West Bengal and Bangladesh. There has been wide spread of arsenic contaminated soil in India, of which the eastern district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is least focused. Very recently it is reported that the 20 districts of UP are severely in toxic zone of arsenic contamination (above 0.05mg/L), where arsenic presence has been found to be more than five times of permissible limit. The districts (Ballia, Ghazipur and Varanasi) of Uttar-Pradesh were found to contain arsenic concentration exceeds from 10 g -1 which is a WHO recommended provisional guideline value of arsenic in drinking water. Humans, plants and animals from these villages are exposed to the grave danger of Arsenic poisoning as this problem is largely unrecognized and unaware. Therefore, there is an urgent need for detailed study and mitigation endeavor from arsenic pollution. This paper intends to give an overview of the arsenic contamination in eastern U.P. and the research work carried till date. Keywords: Arsenic, Uttar Pradesh, soil, water. Introduction Access to pure water either for drinking or agricultural purpose is a first goal and a key target for every nation. But due to some natural and anthropogenic reason it’s still challenge for many countries. The pollution of soil and water with Arsenic(As) is one of the most important environmental problems globally. Natural as well as anthropogenic activities are the main reason for a coverlet of arsenic contamination in ground water and soil. These contaminated ground water and soil are the major source of arsenic in food chain and other food trophic level1. Presence of Arsenic considered as one of the hazardous elements in the environment and exposure of it causes serious health issues arise like cardiovascular, neurological, hematological, renal, and respiratory problems. Groundwater Arsenic contamination in Eastern Gangetic River Basin reported worldwide in recent studies which causes many adverse effects not only for drinking but also for irrigation purpose. Accumulation of arsenic in soil through contaminated ground water during irrigation, which is uptake by many edible parts of plants and subsequently transferred in other food chain. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar situated in the middle and upper Gangetic belt. According to Chakraborti et al. surveyed report on the in the Ganga–Meghna–Brahmaputra (GMB) region, a large population nearly 500 million people are facing arsenic problem having in area approx 500,000km. The conversion of arsenic oxidation state and their presence in ground water or soil depends upon various environmental conditions. It can be recognized in three forms: Inorganic, organic, and arsine gas. Arsenic presents as in trivalent (+3) oxidation state (like arsenic trioxide, sodium arsenite, and arsenic trichloride) and in pentavalent (+5) state (like arsenates, arsenic pentoxide and arsenic acid). Interconversion of Arsenate form (+5) into arsenite form (+3) conditionally in oxidized and reduced condition, which is the most toxic form of arsenic. The conversion of more toxic inorganic form to less toxic organo- arsenic compound such as disodiummethylarsenate (DSMA) and monosodium methylarsenate (MSMA) formation via organism known as Biomethylation. Hypothesis: Distribution of Arsenic in Ganga River Basin: The River Ganges is very complicated hydrology and geological point of view in the Ganges Delta region. The Ganga river basin and its tributaries spread on a very large coverage area in India and Bangladesh. It spread and bed covering four countries (China, Nepal, India and Bangladesh) and eleven states of India (West Bengal, Himanchal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Territory of Delhi. Combinedly the Ganges Meghna Brahmaputra (GMB) basin is a bed covering across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and China. From the origin Gangotri glacier Ganga river water discharge passover into three segments. It extended as upper, middle and lower Gangetic belt. Uttar Pradesh comes under upper and Middle Ganga plain. Himalayan Mountain and Tibet plateau, consider as the biggest source of arsenic contamination in the Gangetic region and this contamination are evidently becoming life threatening in almost every year. Geographically Uttar Pradesh situated in the northern region of India and border of Nepal. The river Ganga and Ghaghara are two major river flows from northeast to southeast. First time in UP arsenic introduced as a contaminant in Ballia district in 2003. International Research Journal of Environment Sciences _____________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414Vol. 4(11), 83-86, November (2015) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 84 Status of Arsenic Contamination in Eastern U.P.: In U.P. Jal Nigam and UNICEF combinedly reported and identified in 18 districts. Arsenic above the 50 ppb limit for drinking and Arsenic according to WHO limit was found in 31 districts6,7. Times of India also reported “Ground water arsenic contamination of Uttar Pradesh exceeds to the value of BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) permissible limit of 0.01 mg/liter across 31 districts of the state. Yano et. al., reported alarming situation and highly contaminated districts are Bahraich, Ballia and Lakhimpur Kheri among than Ambedkar Nagar, Bareli, Basti, Bijnaor, Chaudauli, Faizabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Sant Ravidar Nagar, Shahjahanpur, Siddarth Nagar, Sitapur, Unnao and Kanpur. (Table-1) Table-1 Category of Arsenic affected districtsCategory for toxic Range of toxicity Arsenic contaminated districts Highly toxic 0.04 mg/l to 0.05 mg/l Faizabad, Kanpur Nagar and Sitapur Dangerously toxic 0.01mg/l to 0.04mg/l Ambedkarnagar, Baghpat, Budaun, Lucknow and Pilibhit Toxic Around 0.01mg/l Kaushambi, Saharanpur and Sultanpur Worst Toxic �0.01mg/l Ballia, Bahraich and Lakhimpur-Kheri Arsenic contamination in Ballia district: District Ballia is located in the eastern part of UP with shared in 17 blocks. The Ganga is main river basin and also drained with river Ghagra on the north and Chhoti Sargu in the southAgriculture is the main activity (72%) because of having high poverty (nearly 44%) and 58% low literacy rate. For irrigation purpose people depend on ground water, tubewell and number of tal and canals like surha tal, sikandarpur tal. In Ballia contamination of arsenic compared as west Bengal where arsenic exceeding 50 µg/l. District Laboratory of U.P. Jal Nigam also Confirmed Arsenic confirmatory tests by spectrophotometer. High arsenic concentration has been found in all 16 blocks out of 17 blocks of ground water on Belthara Road, Nagra, Rasra, Chilkahar, Pandah, Navanagar, Beruarwari, Gharwar, Hanumanganj, Maniyar, Sohaon, Dubhad, Bansdeeh Revati, Beriya, Belhari and Murlichapra blocks from 14 to 820 ppb which is much higher than prescribed drinking value by WHO10. The Arsenic Task Force (ATF) has been reported that the presence of poisonous arsenic affected approximately 1.20 lakh people in 55 villages of three blocks (Revti, Dubahar,Belhra) in Ballia11. Recently Chaurasiya et al.7 reported Arsenic concentration ranges above limit at belhri block in 50 tube well water samples and reported Arsenic above 10g/L (94%), between 10 to 50g/L (34%), above 50g/L (60%) in drinking water samples. The presence of arsenic in ballia found nearly in all blocks and many of their villages which are not uniformly distributed. Arsenic contamination in Ghazipur district: Ghazipur city is a part of the middle Ganga basin in eastern U.P. This city drained parallel to the Ganga river. Arsenic concentration in Ghazipur city distributed in many blocks of villages nearly ranges from 47.4 ppb to 96 ppb in ground water12 which is high and above to prescribed drinking water level by WHO and BIS. (Table 2) Table-2 Ground water quality of Ghazipur district12 Ghazipur City/Blocks As(ppb) Karkatpur 92.2±2.59 Sherpur Tulshipur 74.4±1.03 Bhagirathpur 91.0±2.29 Garuamakshudpur 87.8±2.96 Reotipur 74.2±1.09 Medanipur 79.8±0.67 Suhawal 47.4±0.13 Kalyanpur 89.0±0.7 Gaurahat 96.0±1.395 Sukhadeara 92.8±1.127 Arsenic contamination in Varanasi district: Shah, 2010 reported the level of arsenic contaminated of tube-wells in, Bhojpur Bahadurpur, Madhiya (�50 g/l) Semra, Jalilpur, Ratanpur, Kateswar, Bhakhara and Kodupur (�10g/l) villages of Varanasi13. These all villages situated on the eastern side of the Ganga River. Arsenic contamination in Bahraich district: In Bahraich arsenic contamination have been found 10 blocks of villages (Balaha, Mahasi, Jarwal, Chitaura, Kaiserganj, Phakharpur, Mihinpurwa, Shivpur, Huzoorpur, Tejwapur) out of 14 blocks.5,8 Arsenic contamination inKanpur, Unnao and Allahabad, district: Chakraborti et al. revealed ground water contaminated with in the district of Kanpur (Gangaghat, Sikandarpur Sarosi Sikandarpur, Achalagan blocks), Unnao (Kanpur urban comes in unnao distric) and Allahabad (Kunda, Nababganj and Kariahara block) district where the level of arsenic exceed from the value of 50 mg/l. Tripathi et al. found the presence of arsenic in drinking water supplies ,hair and nails at Kanpur in five divisions (Vajidpur, Panki block C, J.K. colony, Dadanagar and Motinagar) and reported the level of contamination in water, hair and nail were 2.4331, 0.5332 and 0.40604 ppm respectively (table-3). International Research Journal of Environment Sciences _____________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414Vol. 4(11), 83-86, November (2015) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 85 Table-3 Arsenic contamination in Kanpur, Unnao and Allahabad, district District Affected Block Nature of sample As level References Ballia Chain chapara water Up to 110 ppb 6 Ballia Belhara road water 14-820 ppb 7,10 Ballia Rasara,Chilkahar Pandah water 23-180 ppb 10 Ballia Navanagar Hanumanganz water 181-360 ppb 10 Ballia Maniyar and Sohaon water 361-540 ppb 10 Ballia Dubhad water 541-720 ppb 10 Ballia Bairiya water 721-820 ppb 10 Ballia Sohaon water 36.94 ppb 1 Ballia Sohaon Soil 14.08 ppm 1 Ballia Haldi water 310.15 ppb 1 Ballia Haldi soil 9.82 ppm 1 Ghazipur Karkatpur Water 257.21 ppb 1 Ghazipur Karkatpur Soil 9.24 ppm 1 Ghazipur Dharmarpur Water 401.75 ppb 1 Ghazipur Dharmarpur Soil 11.32 ppm 1 Varanasi Bahadurpur Maldhiya bhojpur water �50ppb 13 Varanasi Jalipur, Kateswar Bhakhara kodupur water �10ppb 13 Behraich Balaha, Mahasi, Jarwal. Chitaura, Kaiserganj, Phakharpur, Mihinpurwa, Shivpur, Huzoorpur, Tejwapur water 10-100ppb 5,8 Allahabad Kunda, Nababganj Kariahara water �50ppm 4 Kanpur Gangaghat, Sikandarpur Sarosi Sikandarpur, Achalagan blocks water �50ppm 4 Unnao Kanpur urban water �50ppm 4 International Research Journal of Environment Sciences _____________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414Vol. 4(11), 83-86, November (2015) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 86 Conclusion Either report of arsenic contamination in 20 and 31 districts, there is not more study and researches going on in Uttar Pradesh as West Bengal and Bangladesh.Evaluation according to WHO guideline, it is clear that maximum districts of UP has been strongly affected out of range to arsenic contamination. After acceptance of arsenic trouble in West Bengal and Bangladesh the other states have been distinguished out of which Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to be a major concern. After being spread of arsenic contamination in soil and ground water in the eastern district of Uttar Pradesh is least focused. Arsenic contamination has been proven by a lot of researches and awareness program in West Bengal and Bangladesh but in Uttar Pradesh villagers are still facing problem of Arsenic contamination in soil, water and crops because the problem is not so much focused as research point of view. Recommendation: As per the above survey many states especially eastern Uttar Pradesh districts are yet unexplored on the basis of arsenic contamination survey. The More severe survey on large scale is needed to determine the extent to which regions are affected to arsenic contamination. 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