Taneja, SonamYadav, ShivaniPipil, HarshKaraca, OznurHaritash, A.K.2025-01-272025-01-272022978-111987056-2https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119870562.ch5https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12428/12591Over the past decades, population boom, urbanization, and industrialization have overburdened the surface water sources rendering them non-potable for consumption. A switch to relatively safer groundwater resource, to meet the demand for drinking and other activities, has led to a significant effect on its quality and quantity. Overextraction of groundwater has led to decline in the water table, thus, exposing it to contaminants that seep in from the soil surface, particularly during seepage of surface water. Considering the toxicity of pollutants in groundwater, particularly the inorganic pollutants like heavy metals, arsenic (As) in groundwater possess a serious threat to the exposed population. The source of arsenic in groundwater has been reported to be geogenic in nature; however, organic matter inflow by anthropogenic sources facilitated by microbial degradation of minerals (Fe and Mn) releases the soil-absorbed arsenic into the groundwater. In India, As has been reported in the belt of Ganga-Brahmaputra plains including West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and the North-Eastern states. Scientific investigations in these regions have identified As concentration greater than the acceptable limit of 10 ?g/L, leaving 360 million people vulnerable to groundwater As contamination. Arsenic can cause a wide range of chronic and acute illness when consumed in concentration above 10 ?g/L in inorganic form, which usually occurs as trivalent arsenite (arsenous acid, As(III), H 3 AsO 3) or pentavalent arsenate (arsenic acid, As(V), H 3 AsO 4). The inorganic As is absorbed by the kidney, liver, and lungs and gets deposited in tissues of nails, hair, and skin. Long-term exposure of As can cause pigmentation changes, skin lesions, or hyperkeratosis. Alternatively, As-free groundwater sources and removal of As from the existing water source are the only viable options to prevent arsenic toxicity. Using alternative sources, like, harvested rainwater or reclaimed wastewater for irrigation can help to prevent As exposure to soil and crops. The crisis of arsenic poisoning can be curbed with techniques like cost-effective watershed treatment along with creating proper awareness. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2023 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessAs contamination; chemical speciation; Soil-water interaction; toxicity; water treatmentBook Chapter9712010.1002/9781119870562.ch52-s2.0-85150095812N/A