Arsenic fixation and mobilization in the soils of the Ganges and Meghna floodplains. Impact of pedoenvironmental properties

Arsenic contamination of groundwaters in the floodplain of the Ganges–Meghna river system can represent a serious threat to human health and to the sustainability of irrigated rice cultivation. The extent of As accumulation in the soils irrigated with As-containing groundwater seems to vary among different study areas and the relationships between the pedoenvironmental conditions and As fixation/mobilization are not yet completely elucidated. This work was aimed to assess how soil and environmental properties interact in affecting the fixation/mobilization of As in the soils of the Ganges and Meghna agricultural zones. For this purpose, soil samples from different districts in the Ganges and Meghna floodplains have been characterized, different pools of As, Fe, Mn and P have been quantified and the results have been related to the main soil and environmental characteristics of the two areas. The As content in groundwater and the baseline As concentration in the parent material in the two zones would point to a higher As accumulation in the Meghna floodplain soils, however the Ganges floodplain soils had higher contents of As in all fractions, proving the key role of the factors controlling the release/fixation of As. The soils of the two floodplains, in fact, differed for most physicochemical properties. The ones from the Ganges floodplain were calcareous, with finer texture and generally richer in Fe but oxalate extractable Fe was higher in the Meghna floodplain soils, suggesting a higher degree of waterlogging. This is in agreement with the averagely longer duration and higher depth of submersion of the soils of this area, which enhanced Fe dynamics and favored the release of the less tightly bonded As forms. The competing effect of P was probably similar in the two areas, since P concentrations did not differ significantly among the two soil series. However, more P was Olsen extractable in the Meghna floodplain soils, in contrast with As, that was more easily extracted from the Ganges floodplain soils. The concentration and potential mobility of the retained As were hence greater in the soils of the Ganges floodplain.