Survey of trace metals in drinking water supply options in coastal areas of Bangladesh

To ascertain the water quality for human consumption, chemical parameters such as pH, conductivity and the concentrations of calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, lead, chromium, cadmium, nickel and arsenic were evaluated in the drinking water supply options employed in the southwest coastal areas of Bangladesh. The mean iron and manganese concentrations for pond and pond sand filter (PSF) water were much higher than harvested rainwater. The iron concentrations for 41% of the pond water samples were higher than the Bangladesh guideline value. However, iron and manganese removal by PSFs were found 74% and 51%, respectively. Furthermore, scarcity of calcium and magnesium were found in harvested rainwater. One pond water sample showed arsenic concentration above the 10 μg/l WHO drinking water guideline. The presence of an elevated iron and manganese and low calcium and magnesium concentrations in the drinking water could be a matter of public health concern

Hydrogeochemical quality and suitability studies of groundwater in northern Bangladesh

Agriculture, rapid urbanization and geochemical processes have direct or indirect effects on the chemical composition of groundwater and aquifer geochemistry. Hydro-chemical investigations, which are significant for assessment of water quality, were carried out to study the sources of dissolved ions in groundwater of Dinajpur district, northern Bangladesh. The groundwater samplish were analyzed for physico-chemical properties like pH, electrical conductance, hardness, alkalinity, total dissolved solids and Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, C032', HC03", SO,2 and CI" ions, respectively. Based on the analyses, certain parameters like sodium adsorption ratio, soluble sodium percentage, potential salinity, residual sodium carbonate, Kelly's ratio, permeability index and Gibbs ratio were also calculated. The results showed that the groundwater of study area was fresh, slightly acidic (pH 5.3-6.4) and low in TDS (35-275 mg I"1). Ground water of the study area was found suitable for irrigation, drinking and domestic purposes, since most of the parameters analyzed were within the WHO recommended values for drinking water. High concentration of N03" and CI' was reported in areas with extensive agriculture and rapid urbanization. Ion-exchange, weathering, oxidation and dissolution of minerals were major geochemical processes governing the groundwater evolution in study area. Gibb's diagram showed that all the samples fell in the rock dominance field. Based on evaluation, it is clear that groundwater quality of the study area was suitable for both domestic and irrigation purposes

Variations in Water and Deposited Sediment Qualities in the Tidal River Basins of Bangladesh and Their Implications for TRM Success

The tidal river management (TRM) in coastal areas of Bangladesh has been successful in varying degrees. Though there are many studies on the social, institutional, hydrological and hydraulic factors in relation to TRM, there is no study that investigated the relationship between the water and soil qualities and the TRM success. This paper investigates the variations of water and deposited sediment qualities vis-à-vis the TRM success in selected tidal basins in the southwest coastal delta of Bangladesh. The basins were selected based on the level of success in TRM operation: Beel Bhaina (a successful TRM), East Beel Khuksia (a partially successful TRM), and Beel Pakhimara (an unsuccessful TRM). The level of success in TRM was decided from the local community’s perception and how the TRM operation reduced the drainage congestion and increased the sedimentation depth inside a tidal basin. Fifteen water quality parameters with seven indices and eight soil quality parameters were analyzed to evaluate their suitability for agricultural purposes. The analysis reveals that the water of Beel Bhaina and East Beel Khuksia has high salinity, TDS, TSS, SAR and Na% than that of Beel Pakhimara due to the presence of an active tidal current. The most dominant cation is Na+ in almost all the water samples due to the seawater influence. The most dominant anion is Cl− in Beel Bhaina and East Beel Khuksia, and HCO3− in Beel Pakhimara. The deposited sediment quality parameters are worse in the dry season than in the monsoon, except for organic matter. The soil EC of Beel Bhaina and East Beel Khuksia is low, which may be one of the reasons for good yield in these basins. The average yields of boro rice were 7.2, 7.7 and 6.4 ton/ha in Beel Bhaina, East Beel Khuksia and Beel Pakhimara, respectively, which might be related to the quality of the deposited sediment in the tidal basins and also to the level of TRM success

Geochemical assessment of groundwater composition and evaluating its suitability of Saidpur Upazilla in Bangladesh

The chemical analysis of 44 groundwater samples in the northern Bangladesh has been evaluated to determine the hydrogeochemical processes and major ions, heavy and rare metal concentration for its suitability for agricultural and domestic purposes. The quality analysis is performed through the estimation of pH, EC, cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ , K+ , Zn2+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Fe3+ and As3+), anions (CO3 2-, HCO3 - , NO3 - , SO4 2-, PO4 3- and Cl- ) and TDS (total dissolved solids). We also computed several variables such as SAR (sodium adsorption ratio), SSP (soluble sodium percentage) RSC (residual sodium carbonate), potential salinity, permeability index, Kelly's ratio, Gibbs ratio and hardness to evaluate the suitability of groundwater supply for specific uses. From the geochemical results, it has been found that both the cations and anions varied in the groundwater. Among the chemical budget of ions, magnesium and chloride were found to be the most predominant ions. The intense agricultural activities may be an important factor for the higher concentration of nitrates in these aquifers. Based on the total hardness, most groundwaters are moderately hard. According to EC and SAR the most dominant class is C1-S1. The major ion concentrations are below the acceptable level for drinking water. The salinity hazard is low thus, there is less chances to increase of toxic salt concentrations. Gibbs diagram indicates that all the samples fall in the precipitation dominance field. Regarding cation and anion constituents, groundwater is suitable for irrigation and drinking purposes except of few wells

Studies of lipid profile, liver function and kidney function parameters of rat plasma after chronic administration of "Sulavajrini Vatika"

The successful use of Ayurvedic medicines is for many years but there is no guideline for studying the toxicity of these preparations through preclinical or clinical investigations. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of conventionally prepared Sulavajrini Vatika (SBB), an Ayurvedic formulation on various biochemical parameters of experimental animals after chronic administration. The animal used was albino rats (Rattus norvegicus: Sprague-Dawley strain) and SBB was administered orally at a single dose of 100 mg kg b.wt. day, up to 62 days. During the study, forty rats, equally of both sexes, were randomly grouped into four where one male and one female group were used as control and other groups were used as test. Among the lipid components, Triglyceride (TG) was decreased very high significantly in both sexes of animal. The decrease of Total Cholesterol (TC), Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were also highly significant. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) decreased in all SBB treated group. In the liver function parameters, the total protein and albumin content were increased very high significantly in both sexes of rat. But the bilirubin was decreased insignificantly in male and female rats. Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (GPT), Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (GOT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were decreased in all treated animals and it was very high significant. In case of kidney function parameters, creatinine was increased very high significantly but the urea was decreased very high significantly in both sexes of rat. The decrease in uric acid was not significant in none of the sexes of rat. The present study confirms that SBB can be contributory for the complications in diabetics with hyperlipidemia and nephropathy as it lowers most of the lipids components and improves liver function and kidney function parameters