Groundwater arsenic pollution: Informing policies, mitigation and monitoring programmes

Led by Professor William Burgess and Professor John McArthur, UCL research into the groundwater-arsenic crisis in the Bengal Basin has changed national and international policies.

25 February 2023

International policy case study

Research title: Groundwater arsenic pollution: Informing policies, mitigation and monitoring programmes, leading to improved public health security in Bangladesh
Faculty: UCL Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Activity: Research
Policy type: International public health, International Environment, Conservation or Wildlife
Country/Region: South Asia
Policy partner: UN Agencies, Non-UK National Governments (non-EU)

Synopsis

UCL research has identified how naturally-occurring, toxic arsenic enters groundwater in the Bengal Basin in Bangladesh and has changed national and international policies towards managing the groundwater-arsenic crisis and the development of infrastructure for groundwater resources monitoring. This has reduced population exposure to arsenic and improved public health security for over five million people across southern Bangladesh.

International Policy Engagement

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