Future Secular Changes & Remediation of Groundwater Arsenic in the Ganga River Basin

Arsenic in groundwater is causing severe detrimental impacts on human health in the Indian sub-continent. In the Gangetic River Basin, which supports a population of over 500 million people, tens of millions of people are exposed to groundwater arsenic, resulting in more than 15,000 premature deaths each year, as well as enhanced morbidity and reduced economic productivity.

Whilst many remediation/mitigation schemes have been implemented to reduce groundwater arsenic exposure, there exist pressures that may partly counteract these efforts. These include: [i] increased reliance on groundwater arising from increased population and affluence coupled with decreased recharge of surface water reservoirs, and [ii] future secular increases in groundwater arsenic which we hypothesise may arise from (a) ingress of surface-derived organic carbon, thought to be strongly implicated in the microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes leading to arsenic mobilisation; or (b) injection of oxygenated waters in managed aquifer recharge (MAR) leading to oxidative dissolution of arsenic-bearing pyrite

In this project, we will quantify the vulnerability of shallow urban or rural aquifers to secular increases in groundwater arsenic stimulated by enhanced oxygen or organic carbon supplies. Efficiently and effectively building on existing core research and field and laboratory infrastructure of the highly complementary team of India and UK research and water resource management investigators, this study will combine unique field studies of sedimentologically distinct natural laboratories in the upper, mid and/or lower Ganga/Hooghly as well as contrasting naturally recharging and managed aquifer recharging systems such as river bank filtration (RBF). We will evaluate the biogeochemical processes controlling arsenic mobilisation in key zones, including the hyporheic zone, of surface water-groundwater interactions. We will build upon existing detailed hydrogeological knowledge of the field areas, much built up by the project partners , supplemented by further sampling and analysis of key tracers including CFCs, SF6, tritium, and indicators of provenance, organic biomarkers, including emerging organic contaminants, and redox species ratios. Our developed understanding of these systems will be incorporated into reactive contaminated transport models to (i) facilitate the prediction of groundwater arsenic hazards in the Ganga River Basin over the next 50 years; (ii) inform selection of remediation technologies and approaches, including indirect approaches, such as improving management of near surface urban and rural organic carbon sources. Establishing workable frameworks for considering due diligence, long-term maintenance and sustainability of solutions, social integration of technology using community participatory approaches will be a key element of project outreach and knowledge transfer. The results will inform risk assessment and remediation/mitigation of groundwater vulnerability both elsewhere in India and globally, including in many ODA countries and the UK.

We have established a broad and inclusive network of researchers, NGOs, government organisations and other stakeholders with strong interests in mitigating the impacts of human activity on secular increases in the concentration of arsenic and other contaminants in vulnerable groundwaters in India. This network will aim to both transfer knowledge of the hazard, risk and potential remediation/mitigation of these hazards as well as drive for further networking, integration, knowledge transfer and co-funding to better understand the natural and anthropogenic processes controlling these critical public health risks and effective ways to mitigate against them.

The partners have substantive and complementary track-records in this area of research and water resource management and will bring significant co-funding to the project, through staff time and/or lab & field infrastructure.

The research outcomes of FAR-GANGA address Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and Goal 3 (Good health and well being), and will be of interest to several groups: (i) stakeholders in groundwater resources in India - these include government and non-government organisations who have responsibilities, authority and/or interests in protecting public health in the regions impacted should have interests in the outcome of this research - particularly as it informs predictions of secular increases in groundwater arsenic hazard - proper and informed utilization of the well communicated relevant project outcomes may ultimately benefit millions of people whose exposure to arsenic is reduced; (ii) the general public in groundwater arsenic hazard impacted areas who may ultimately benefit from the considered usage by institutional stakeholders of the results in conjunction with suitable other studies and experience; (iii) academic researchers - (see Academic Beneficiaries) & (iv) the wider general public in largely non-impacted areas and countries

We will use a range of activities tailored to best effectively impact the different major target groups:
[i] Groundwater resource stakeholders
a. We will email/write to key stakeholders with lay summaries of our key findings
b. We have established a Stakeholder Advisory Panel compromising: (1) Government of India Central Ground Water Board (CGWB, India); (2) West Bengal Public Health Engineering Department (WB PHED, India); (3) Biome Environmental Trust (India); (4) Community Friendly Movement (CFM, India); (5) WaterAid India (India); (6) Arvia (Organics Destruction) (UK); (7) Enebio Ltd (UK); and (8) WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff (UK). We will provide reports & seek their advice and feedback on most effective pathways to impact in India.
b. We will make further personal contacts with key government and non-government organisation officers to highlight key relevant findings and through a short workshop in India in the final year of the project. For these activities we will build upon networking links and collaborations established through the recently completed (UKIERI PRAMA) as well as on-going complementary projects involving various project team members on groundwater resource management in India (e.g. "Nutri-SAM", "INNOWATER", "PEYA JAL SURAKSHA")
(iii) General public - in groundwater arsenic impacted regions in India
a. the PDRA/JRFs/PI/CoIs will engage in Outreach Activities in India throughout the programme as appropriate - these will include meetings with local communities, in addition to engagement with other relevant stakeholders and, in particular, the running of a Outreach/Stakeholder Knowledge Exchange meeting/event towards the end of the project
b. Website,
c. Press releases:
d. Social media
(iii) Academic researchers. (See Academic Beneficiaries section)
(iv) Wider general public, particularly in the UK. In addition to approaches listed above, the PDRA/PI/Co-Is will participate in public events, including the Science Showcase week at University of Manchester, lecturing (through a programme open to all ages) at The Manchester Museum and/or (co-) running workshops on public engagement in Science.

Milestones/measures of success. include: (1) number of presentations of results at national and international meetings; (2) number of quality publications in peer-reviewed journals; (3) media output; (4) delivery of public lectures and participating in workshops on public engagement in Science (e.g. Policy@Manchester week or British Science Week); (5) development of educational materials and uptake by target groups; (6) organisation of outreach workshops and attendance by and feedback from stakeholders; (7) response to personal contacts by stakeholders in India; ultimately (8) consideration of project outcomes in groundwater management strategies/policy.

Cost of the impact plan is £7,500.