Seasonal Variation of Arsenic Concentration in Ground Water of Nawalparasi District of Nepal

Abstract

Ground water of southern part of Nepal, also known as Terai region where population density is relatively very high, has been contaminated with poisonous element Arsenic. This study has been carried out to determine variability of the level of arsenic contamination in groundwater with seasons of Pathkhauli village of Devgaun VDC and Mahuwa village of Manari VDC in Nawalparasi district, the western Terai district. Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (HG-AAS) and UV-visible Spectrophotometry was used for analysis. Total 55 groundwater samples in post-monsoon season and 45 groundwater samples in pre-monsoon season were collected. The level of arsenic contamination in groundwater was found above the Nepal interim standard of 50 ppb. Of the total 42 water samples from each pre- and post- monsoon seasons analyzed, 28 water samples (67.67%) showed higher As-concentration in pre-monsoon season. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v2i1.9477   Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 2(1): 59-63