IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i4p1697-d1341521.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatial Distribution of Arsenic in the Aksu River Basin, Xinjiang, China: The Cumulative Frequency Curve and Geostatistical Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Fengjun Shao

    (Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
    Fengjun Shao and Qingfeng Lu are contributed equally to this work.)

  • Wenfeng Wang

    (Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Coal-Based Greenhouse Gas Control and Utilization, Carbon Neutrality Institute, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China)

  • Qingfeng Lu

    (Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Coal-Based Greenhouse Gas Control and Utilization, Carbon Neutrality Institute, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
    Fengjun Shao and Qingfeng Lu are contributed equally to this work.)

  • Kexin Che

    (Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China)

  • Bo Zhu

    (Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China
    School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, China)

Abstract

The quality of drinking water is crucial for human health and the sustainable development of societies. The Aksu River Basin, a typical inland river system, has areas where groundwater arsenic levels exceed safe drinking water standards (i.e., arsenic concentrations greater than 10 μg/L). Identifying the causes of high arsenic levels in the basin’s groundwater requires further study. Analyzing the hydrogeochemical composition of the Aksu River basin helps us to understand the spatial distribution of groundwater environments and locate areas with dangerously high arsenic levels. In this research, we collected 196 groundwater samples from along the river. Out of these, 38 samples had arsenic levels above 10 μg/L, which represents 19.4% of the total samples collected. By examining the slope changes in the cumulative frequency curves of major ion ratios and employing geostatistics (specifically, the Kriging interpolation), and taking into account the environmental characteristics of the entire basin, we divided the study area into five sub-regions (Zone I through Zone V). The geostatistical analysis showed a significant spatial variability in groundwater arsenic levels, with a clear spatial correlation. Our findings demonstrate that arsenic concentrations in the Aksu River basin’s groundwater vary widely, with Zones II and III—mainly located in the northeastern part of the basin and in Awat County—being hotspots for high-arsenic water. Factors such as a weak reducing environment, intense evaporation, strong cation exchange, and the low-permeability recharge of surface water contribute to the accumulation of arsenic in the basin’s groundwater. The results of this study are vital for assessing the risk of arsenic contamination in groundwater in similar basins and for identifying critical areas for further investigation and research.

Suggested Citation

  • Fengjun Shao & Wenfeng Wang & Qingfeng Lu & Kexin Che & Bo Zhu, 2024. "Spatial Distribution of Arsenic in the Aksu River Basin, Xinjiang, China: The Cumulative Frequency Curve and Geostatistical Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:4:p:1697-:d:1341521
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/4/1697/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/4/1697/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dipankar Chakraborti & Sushant K. Singh & Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman & Rathindra Nath Dutta & Subhas Chandra Mukherjee & Shyamapada Pati & Probir Bijoy Kar, 2018. "Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in the Ganga River Basin: A Future Health Danger," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Chen, Y. & Ahsan, H., 2004. "Cancer Burden from Arsenic in Drinking Water in Bangladesh," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(5), pages 741-744.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Hamid Beladi, 2023. "Centralized versus Decentralized Cleanup of River Water Pollution: An Application to the Ganges," Games, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Peter Atkins & Manzurul Hassan & Christine Dunn, 2007. "Environmental Irony: Summoning Death in Bangladesh," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 39(11), pages 2699-2714, November.
    3. Laura A. Richards & Arun Kumar & Prabhat Shankar & Aman Gaurav & Ashok Ghosh & David A. Polya, 2020. "Distribution and Geochemical Controls of Arsenic and Uranium in Groundwater-Derived Drinking Water in Bihar, India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-26, April.
    4. Yongfang Li & Feng Ye & Anwei Wang & Da Wang & Boyi Yang & Quanmei Zheng & Guifan Sun & Xinghua Gao, 2016. "Chronic Arsenic Poisoning Probably Caused by Arsenic-Based Pesticides: Findings from an Investigation Study of a Household," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, January.
    5. Cordelia Onyinyechi Omodero & Amah Kalu Ogbonnaya & Azubike-Joseph Uche Belonwu, 2019. "Water Resources Accounting and Nigeria's Economic Advancement," Applied Finance and Accounting, Redfame publishing, vol. 5(1), pages 58-67, February.
    6. Md Rokonuzzaman & Zhihong Ye & Chuan Wu & Wai-Chin Li, 2023. "Arsenic Elevated Groundwater Irrigation: Farmers’ Perception of Rice and Vegetable Contamination in a Naturally Arsenic Endemic Area," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-19, March.
    7. M. Mominul Islam & Md. Rezaul Karim & Xin Zheng & Xiaofang Li, 2018. "Heavy Metal and Metalloid Pollution of Soil, Water and Foods in Bangladesh: A Critical Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Samuel Brazys & Minhaj Mahmud, 2022. "Poisoning the Well? The "Last Mile" Politics of Donor Control and Elite Capture in Bangladesh's Arsenic Mitigation," Working Papers 202207, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    9. Sheree A. Pagsuyoin & Joost R. Santos & Jana S. Latayan & John R. Barajas, 2015. "A multi-attribute decision-making approach to the selection of point-of-use water treatment," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 35(4), pages 437-452, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:4:p:1697-:d:1341521. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.