{"title":"Arsenic calamity in India’s West Bengal: a critical review of mitigation scenarios for sustainability modelling","authors":"Soumyajit Koley","doi":"10.1680/jensu.21.00066","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Arsenic catastrophe of groundwater is a serious concern in the developing world. Over the last decade, significant progress has been made in arsenic remediation in India, where millions of households are exposed to arsenic poisoning via drinking water drawn from contaminated aquifers. Arsenic Treatment Units (ATUs) have been effective in helping regions where piped–water–supply of surface water is unachievable due to logistic constraints. But no policy measure exists on environmental and economic management of the voluminous wastewater produced by the ATUs. The waste is highly toxic in terms of its arsenic content and leachability, and therefore can readily re–contaminate local environments if suitable stabilisation methods are not implemented. This article presents an investigation of the recent developments in arsenic wastewater management practices of a severely affected state called West Bengal. Commercial fixation of the waste via incorporation into building materials is often seen as a potent method for ultimate encapsulation of arsenic toxicity. By analyzing the practical efficacy of such a prospective project, the author has made an attempt to model scenarios involving non–hazardous and financially beneficial arsenic waste management for sustainable arsenic mitigation in the region.","PeriodicalId":49671,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Engineering Sustainability","volume":"217 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"20","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Engineering Sustainability","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1680/jensu.21.00066","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CIVIL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 20
Abstract
Arsenic catastrophe of groundwater is a serious concern in the developing world. Over the last decade, significant progress has been made in arsenic remediation in India, where millions of households are exposed to arsenic poisoning via drinking water drawn from contaminated aquifers. Arsenic Treatment Units (ATUs) have been effective in helping regions where piped–water–supply of surface water is unachievable due to logistic constraints. But no policy measure exists on environmental and economic management of the voluminous wastewater produced by the ATUs. The waste is highly toxic in terms of its arsenic content and leachability, and therefore can readily re–contaminate local environments if suitable stabilisation methods are not implemented. This article presents an investigation of the recent developments in arsenic wastewater management practices of a severely affected state called West Bengal. Commercial fixation of the waste via incorporation into building materials is often seen as a potent method for ultimate encapsulation of arsenic toxicity. By analyzing the practical efficacy of such a prospective project, the author has made an attempt to model scenarios involving non–hazardous and financially beneficial arsenic waste management for sustainable arsenic mitigation in the region.
期刊介绍:
Engineering Sustainability provides a forum for sharing the latest thinking from research and practice, and increasingly is presenting the ''how to'' of engineering a resilient future. The journal features refereed papers and shorter articles relating to the pursuit and implementation of sustainability principles through engineering planning, design and application. The tensions between and integration of social, economic and environmental considerations within such schemes are of particular relevance. Methodologies for assessing sustainability, policy issues, education and corporate responsibility will also be included. The aims will be met primarily by providing papers and briefing notes (including case histories and best practice guidance) of use to decision-makers, practitioners, researchers and students.