Impact of arsenic pollution in drinking water on life expectancy: A GIS study

This paper reports the impact of arsenic pollution on life expectancy, which is the most widely used indicator of measurement of health status of a population. The study area includes six central administrative blocks of the district Murshidabad of West Bengal, India. About 1.25 million people are exposed to arsenic pollution in this area of whom 0.38 million people are exposed to arsenic concentration above 0.05 mg/L, the WHO maximum permissible level of arsenic in drinking water. The impact of arsenic pollution on life expectancy was forecast based on the total number of death cases expected in each of the six blocks due to arsenic pollution in drinking water. The age-specific crude death rate data required to calculate life expectancy was collected from the Registrar General of India and modified for the death cases forecast due to arsenic pollution for the study area. Arsenic pollution adjusted life expectancy was calculated for different age groups of the people of each of the blocks under study. The study reveals that life expectancy at birth and at other age groups is highly affected by the arsenic pollution in all the six blocks. More than 26% of the study area is severely affected as life expectancy of the people living in this area may reduce considerably by the impact of arsenic in groundwater if they experience life long exposure. Blocks Beldanga-1, Domkal and Bhagabangola-1 are of major concern as the reduction in life expectancy is more compared to that of the other blocks of the district. Some of the mouzas (sub-areas/groups of villages and hamlets) of blocks Beldanga-1, Domkal and Hariharpara are highly affected, as the reduction in life expectancy in those areas is more than 23%.