Groundwater salinization and associated co-contamination risk increase severe drinking water vulnerabilities in the southwestern coast of Bangladesh

M A Rakib; Jun Sasaki; Hirotaka Matsuda; Shamshad B Quraishi; Md Juel Mahmud; Md Bodrud-Doza; A K M Atique Ullah; Konica J Fatema; Md Asif Newaz; Mohammad A H Bhuiyan

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125646

Groundwater salinization and associated co-contamination risk increase severe drinking water vulnerabilities in the southwestern coast of Bangladesh

Chemosphere. 2020 May:246:125646. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125646. Epub 2019 Dec 17.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, Global Leadership Initiative, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan; Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, 5400, Bangladesh. Electronic address: rakibmamun_ju@yahoo.com.
² Department of Socio-Cultural Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan.
³ Department of Agricultural Innovation for Sustainability, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1737 Funako, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa 243-0034, Japan.
⁴ Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
⁵ International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) Dhaka, Bangladesh.
⁶ Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, 1342, Bangladesh.
⁷ Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, 9208, Bangladesh.

PMID: 31884226
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125646

Abstract

Household drinking water security is one of the major issues among coastal communities in Bangladesh. To examine the groundwater quality and social consequences, groundwater samples and household questionnaires were administered across the study area. Instrumental and statistical tools were used to analyze the water quality and social survey data. The average concentrations of electrical conductivity (EC) (7135.67 μS/cm), total dissolved solids (TDS) (3691 mg/L), Na⁺ (1569.51 mg/L), Ca²⁺ (289.5 mg/L), Mg²⁺ (340.51 mg/L), Cl^- (2940.78 mg/L), F^- (11.85 mg/L), NO₃^- (54.44 mg/L), NO₂^- (162.95 mg/L), PO₄^3- (105.19 mg/L), Fe (4.9 mg/L), Mn (1.22 mg/L), As (16.55 μg/L), B (833.28 μg/L), and Pb (34.22 μg/L) were observed in groundwater, and exceeded the drinking water standards from 30% to 100% depending on the sampling location. Thus, the remarkably high contents of EC, TDS, Cl^-, and Na⁺ represented possible saltwater intrusion along the coastal aquifer. The positive correlations between EC and trace and toxic elements indicated the potential influence of groundwater salinization on the dissolution of more chemical contaminants in the aquifer. These results showed that 100% of samples were unsuitable for drinking purposes. Severe drinking water scarcity is a serious issue, and local people have been affected by water-related diseases owing to the long-term consumption of contaminated water. Salinity problems in drinking water and related health diseases have increased significantly in the past several years. In addition, climate change and its associated hazards, including sea-level rise, cyclonic storm surges, flooding, and resulting inundation problems, have intensified the drinking water scarcity and health problems at the community level. To ensure household water security, environmental exposure, hydrogeology, and anthropogenic interventions must be considered to determine future sustainable water policies.

Keywords: Co-contamination; Groundwater salinization; Health risk; Multivariate statistics; Social perception; Spatial distribution.

MeSH terms

Bangladesh
Climate Change
Drinking Water / chemistry*
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Environmental Monitoring
Groundwater / chemistry
Salinity
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
Water Pollution
Water Quality

Substances

Drinking Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical