Point bars and clay plugs surface map near Patna (Bihar, India) along the Ganga River

Abstract

Clean drinking water is essential for life. In Bangladesh and the northern part of India however, around the 30 and 40 million people are estimated to be exposed to Arsenic in drinking water at concentrations above the 0.05 mg/L. Studies show that the aquifers of Holocene age near the Ganga River are polluted. These aquifers are between the 10 and 50 meters deep. Also, there are huge differences in the spatial differences in the arsenic concentrations in the groundwater. Some studies in India have shown that the spatial distribution of arsenic concentrations has an association with geomorphologic features. Therefore the different geomorphologic elements in the area near Patna are mapped using the satellite images. On these images, the great difference in morphology is visible. Some of the aquifers are completely surrounded by clay. In these aquifers, the arsenic concentrations might be the highest, because the arsenic can not migrate away. The search for clean drinking water will be easier if the locations of this kind of aquifers are known.