GROUNDWATER FLOW AND THE ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN SOUTHERN BANGLADESH

Abstract

Arsenic contamination had been found all over Bangladesh in 1993, however, the groundwater flow and the mechanism of arsenic contamination have not been made clear yet. Because the arsenic contamination spreads through the groundwater, it is important to understand the groundwater flow. We performed the field measurement from December 23^rd to 25^th, 2003 and from May 19^th to 21^st, 2004. Then we performed the numerical analysis of groundwater flow using MODFLOW to grasp the field groundwater condition.
As a result of the field measurement, the underground condition of our study area is reductive, and we consider the arsenic elutes into groundwater through a reductive mechanism in a dry season. Besides, using MODFLOW, we could reproduce the groundwater flow properly.