RETRACTED: Status of groundwater arsenic pollution in Holocene aquifers from parts of the Ghaghara Basin, India: Its relation to geomorphology and hydrogeological setting(Retracted article. See vol.96, pg.84, 2016)

A groundwater arsenic (As) survey was carried out for the first time in Faizabad, Gonda, and Basti districts of UP and 38%, 61%, and 42% of tubewells in these districts, respectively have As > 10 mu g/l (WHO guideline). Moreover, 15%, 45%, and 26% of tubewells in Faizabad, Gonda, and Basti districts, respectively have As above 50 mu g/l, the Indian standards for As in drinking water. About 86%, 69%, and 35% of tubewells in Faizabad, Gonda, and Basti districts, respectively are from shallow depth (21-45 m), and it is worth noticing that 47% As-contaminated (As > 10 mu g/l) tubewells in these three districts are located within the depth of 10-35 m in the Holocene Newer Alluvium aquifers. The high content of As (7.11 mg/kg) is recorded in suspended river sediments of the Ghaghara River as well. Most of the As-contaminated tubewells in Faizabad, Gonda, and Basti districts are located close to abandoned or present meander channels and floodplains of the Ghaghara River. In contrast, tubewells in Faizabad, Ayodhya, and Nawabganj towns are As-safe because of their positions on the Pleistocene Older Alluvium upland surfaces. Deeper tubewells (>50 m) in the Pleistocene Older Alluvium aquifers are suggested as option for As-safe groundwater. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.