Assessment of Various Metal and Physio Chemical Properties on the Water Quality of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Groundwater arsenic (As) contamination is a significant public safety concern. It causes several different types of cancer and respiratory and cardiac problems; thus, prolonged exposure to it considerably increases the risk of dying. The AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy) instrumental techniques mainly used in this study allow for measurements of arsenic and various metals (including some heavy metal) concentrations in drinking water samples collected from various locations across West Bengal, India. The selected cities were “Howrah, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and Kolkata”. Total Hardness (CaCO3), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved oxygen (DO), Total Suspended Solids (TSS),  and pH and various metals like “Cadmium (Cd), Cyanide (CN), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel (Ni), Chromium (Cr) and Arsenic (As)”,  value were measured. The arsenic levels in the water samples were over the permissible limit of 0.01 mg/L(according to WHO), ranging from 0.22 to 1.72 mg/L. Research suggests that water contamination is very high, and around two million people are at risk for chronic arsenic poisoning from drinking this water since it has not been treated