Systematic and Automatized Hydrogeological Data Capturing for Provision of Safe Drinking Water in Daudkandi, Bangladesh

Sammanfattning: Arsenic-contaminated drinking water exposes ~230 million people worldwide to increased risks of several diseases and is considered one of the greatest threats to public health. In Bangladesh, arsenic-contaminated water has been declared the largest poisoning of a population in history, where 39 million people are exposed to arsenic levels above the WHO guidelines (>10 μg/L). Drinking water is mainly provided by tube-wells installed by local drillers and the majority are located in aquifers with high arsenic levels. The major challenges of identifying arsenic-safe aquifers consist of a lack of a common tool for quality assurance of hydrogeological data, post-processing of the data, and a possibility to forward analyzed data to national and local stakeholders. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of applying a digital solution for collecting and managing hydrogeological data in a quality assured platform. This study was a pilot-project in the sub-district Daudkandi, Bangladesh in collaboration with the KTH-International Groundwater Research Group. To fulfill the purpose, a method was developed for systematic and automated data capturing of hydrogeological information in GeoGIS, an advanced software that proved to be an efficient tool for visualizing hydrogeological data. The results show that collecting a few field data in a systematic and automated way is helpful for interpreting aquifer sequences and will enable better prerequisites for targeting safe aquifers and installing safe tube-wells. Conclusions are that the integration of a digital platform as a decision tool may significantly improve arsenic mitigation strategies. Furthermore, providing information to public and private sectors in Bangladesh would increase the transparency of hydrogeological conditions and may help improve safe water access to high arsenic areas of Bangladesh.