The present study highlights about human health risk
assessment of nitrate-contaminated groundwater in North East Alluvial Plains of
India. Groundwater is a vital natural resource that provides nearly half of the
world's drinking water and plays a crucial role in food production. Nitrate
that has accumulated in soils is highly prone to leaching, which is directly
threatening the quality of groundwater. However, consuming water with high
nitrate concentrations can have immediate effects on infants, leading to a
condition called methemoglobinemia, where the blood is unable to carry
sufficient oxygen to the body's cells. Given the varying nitrate concentrations
in water, it is important to study its undesirable effects. In rural areas,
groundwater contamination is often linked to the excessive use of chemical
fertilizers by local farmers. Shallow groundwater is essential for water use
and maize yield, with nitrogen application significantly impacting crop uptake
and water utilization from irrigation, though the specifics of groundwater use
are less understood. Farmers in the region are applying an average of 278 kg/ha
of nitrogen to Kharif maize, which is approximately 131.72% more than the
recommended dose of 120 kgN/ha. The mean nitrogen application ranges from 251
to 323 kg/ha, with the highest application rates observed in Khagaria (323 kg
N/ha), followed by Madhepura (275.08 kg N/ha), and the lowest in Saharsa
(251.16 kg N/ha). The nitrogenous fertilizer application rates vary from
109.25% to 169.16% over the recommended dose, resulting in nitrate leaching. In
this study, groundwater and surface water samples were collected from 12
villages, and various quality parameters were analyzed. Nitrate levels in
groundwater ranged from 1.87 to 6.19 mg/L, while in surface water, they ranged
from 1.87 to 3.84 mg/L, with the highest nitrate concentrations found in the
Madhepura district. High intensive double or triple cropping system of the area
has mostly utilized the leached nitrate through the ramified root system of the
intercrops. The study assessed nitrate leaching in soil, groundwater
contamination levels, and human health risks through chronic daily intake of
nitrate and Hazard Quotient (HQ) values in the Khagaria, Saharsa, Madhepura,
and Supaul districts of the eastern alluvial region of Bihar. It is time to be
cautious to refrain away from the use of heavy doses of nitrogenous fertilizer
by the farmers of the study area. Further studies on actual records of NO3
toxicity in residents are needed to validate the result of the present finding.
Author(s)details:-
Ajeet Kumar
Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra
Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, India.
Sanjay Kumar Singh
Department of Soil Science, Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi,
Muzaffarpur, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa
(Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, India.
Sunita Kumari Meena
Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra
Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, India.
S.K. Sinha
Department of Soil Science, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra
Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, India.
Lalita Rana
Department of Agronomy, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, India.
Amrita Kumari
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur -813210, India.
A.K. Singh
Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural
University, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125, Bihar, India.
Amrendra Kumar
Department of Agronomy, Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi, Muzaffarpur,
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur)-848125,
Bihar, India.
Please See the book
here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/geserh/v2/1424
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