The evolution of groundwater quality at a wet zone in Sri Lanka was made clear using field investigation, chemical and isotopic analyses methods. In the wet zone, the concentrations of major ions and electrical conductivity (EC) in the groundwater are low with small seasonal change. Except for sodium, silica and chloride, the EC and other major ion concentrations increase along the groundwater flow direction. The contributions of bicarbonate and calcium ions to the increase in EC are the largest among the major ions.

Fluoride concentration and other parameters in groundwater from 261 villages in Tehsil Kheragarh of District Agra were assessed and attempts were made to observe the relationship between fluoride and other water quality parameters.

The natural contamination of drinking water by arsenic needs to be urgently addressed.

In Bangladesh, arsenic in groundwater above 0.05 mg/1, the maximum permissible limit laid down by WHO, was found in 41 out of 64 districts. People suffering from arsenicosis have been identified in 20 districts out of 21 districts we have surveyed so far.

The arsenic affected areas of West Bengal are lying on a sediment of Younger Deltaic Deposition (YDD). The same sediment extends eastwards towards Bangladesh, covering the approximate area of 34 districts out of a total of 64 districts in Bangladesh. We suspect that the groundwater of these 34 districts of Bangladesh may be arsenic contaminated.

Arsenic has been found in groundwater in seven districts of West Bengal covering an area 37,493 km having about 34 million population. Our survey indicates that 560 villages are arsenic-affected and more than a million people are drinking arsenic contaminated water and more than 200,000 people are suffering from arsenic-related diseases.

Argues that excessive fluorides in groundwater are a serious water quality problem in some parts of Sri Lanka. The incidence of dental fluorosis shows a high correlation with the presence of groundwater in certain areas. Tube wells constructed in various rock types have shown different fluoride concentrations, possibly due to the different mineral constituents in these rocks and their relative capability of releasing fluoride ions into groundwater. It has been observed that the tube wells located in the dry zone have higher fluoride concentrations than those in the wet zone.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has carried out a study to assess the status of ground water quality and soil characteristics around Bhopal gas accident site in the surroundings of Union Carbide of India Ltd. (UCIL), Bhopal. The CPCB study confirms presence of heavy metals, pesticides and some of the volatile organic compounds in the soil samples and the groundwater.

This is the letter by the Congress of United States, Washington to Chairman & CEO of Dow Chemical Company, Michigan, requesting that Dow ensures that a representative appear in the ongoing legal cases in India regarding Bhopal, that Dow meets the demands of the survivors for medical and economic rehabilitation, and cleans up the soil and groundwater contamination in and around the factory site.

For Rs 1.9 crore, three deep tubewells and a distribution network were set up in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. Six years on, these wells supply arsenic-laced water to 14000 villagers.

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